Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilo, HI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hilo, HI and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hilo, HI and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Hilo, HI vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Hilo, HI $2,865
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $4,388 per month in Hilo, HI vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Hilo, HI $4,388
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,910 per month in Hilo, HI vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Hilo, HI $5,910
Medellin $3,249

Hilo, HI costs about 69% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hilo, HI and Medellin sit above the global median – Hilo, HI by 112%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.34 COP 27.0K

149.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$46.53 COP 150.9K

71.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$9.47 COP 30.7K

28.51%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.13 COP 10.2K

79.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.77 COP 5,728

63.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.42 COP 4,620

70.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.15 COP 10.2K

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 $7.57

$5.70 COP 18.5K

32.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.53 COP 4,971

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.29 COP 7,431

340.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.94 COP 6,308

120.62%

Eggs

$7.07 $7.07

$3.07 COP 9,945

130.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.98 $19.98

$9.99 COP 32.4K

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.57 $17.57

$10.45 COP 33.9K

68.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.15 $30.15

$13.96 COP 45.3K

115.97%

Apples (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$4.05 COP 13.1K

111.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.53 COP 4,957

56.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$2.10 COP 6,825

399.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$2.29 COP 7,439

433.19%

Potato (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$2.11 COP 6,841

328.44%

Onion (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.71 COP 5,543

356.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.17 COP 3,795

358.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.58 COP 5,125

91.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$3.91 COP 12.7K

204.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.03 $22.03

$14.04 COP 45.6K

56.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.76 COP 5,714

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.81 COP 5,860

62.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.13 COP 6,906

-6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.57 $23.57

$8.13 COP 26.4K

189.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.28 COP 4,136

10.16%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-25.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-23.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$302 $302

$178 COP 576.4K

69.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$13.89 COP 45.0K

387.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 $125

$30.74 COP 99.7K

307.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.04 $37.04

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-11.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.30 $25.30

$16.80 COP 54.5K

50.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$7.47 COP 24.2K

77.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-3.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.77 $36.77

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-57.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.88 $29.88

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-49.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 $66.8

$138 COP 448.7K

-51.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 $83.9

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 $1,463

$1,341 COP 4.3M

9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 $1,142

$667 COP 2.2M

71.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,574 $2,574

$1,976 COP 6.4M

30.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,199 $2,199

$1,033 COP 3.3M

112.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,600 $5,600

$4,098 COP 13.3M

36.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,662 $4,662

$1,940 COP 6.3M

140.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 $3,795

$646 COP 2.1M

487.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

10.94

-39.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 41.6% $475

Groceries & Markets

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 57% $408

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 55.1% $273

Eating Out

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 49% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 76.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 10.5% $6.6

Getting Around

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 621% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in Hilo, HI versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilo, HI are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Hilo, HI versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $715 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

5 h ahead of Hilo, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,186

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hilo, HI Medellin 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilo, HI
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hilo, HI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 69% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,297 per month in Hilo, HI and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,463 in Hilo, HI and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,865 in Hilo, HI and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 41% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Hilo, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Hilo, HI at $2,865. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,865 in Hilo, HI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.