Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houghton, MI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,736 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Houghton, MI
Learn more

Houghton, MI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,736

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Houghton, MI 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 Houghton, MI and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,736 in Houghton, MI versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Houghton, MI $2,736
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,593 in Houghton, MI versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Houghton, MI $3,593
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Houghton, MI versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Houghton, MI $4,449
Medellin $3,199

Living in Houghton, MI is roughly 68% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houghton, MI 102% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$8.30 COP 26.3K

66.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 $39.55

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-15.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 $10.37

$9.24 COP 29.3K

12.23%

Cappuccino

$4.13 $4.13

$3.05 COP 9,676

35.41%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.80 COP 5,707

54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.38 COP 4,382

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.24 COP 10.3K

83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$5.56 COP 17.6K

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 COP 4,760

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.37 COP 7,508

76.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$1.70 COP 5,377

272.94%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.96 COP 9,379

33.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 $12.31

$10.22 COP 32.4K

20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 $10.79

$9.74 COP 30.9K

10.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.13 COP 13.1K

23.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.53 COP 4,839

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.22 COP 7,052

91.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.27 COP 7,194

110.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.99 COP 6,311

40.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.67 COP 5,285

80.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.18 COP 3,742

87.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.24 COP 3,919

18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$3.87 COP 12.3K

163.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$13.78 COP 43.7K

8.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.66 COP 5,256

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.40 COP 7,615

36.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.24 COP 3,944

63.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.28 COP 4,044

135.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.15 COP 6,803

-30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.22 $29.22

$8.37 COP 26.5K

249.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.35 COP 4,288

-40.00%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-27.70%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-26.83%

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

$280 $280

$167 COP 528.4K

68.20%

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

$57.6 $57.6

$13.62 COP 43.2K

322.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

137.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.96 $36.96

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$6.97 COP 22.1K

103.44%

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

$1,249 $1,249

$790 COP 2.5M

58.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

153.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-38.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-28.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$139 COP 440.7K

-37.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$98.9 COP 313.5K

9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 $1,833

$1,028 COP 3.3M

78.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 $1,484

$620 COP 2.0M

139.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$1,881 COP 6.0M

23.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,008 COP 3.2M

95.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-61.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-8.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,603 $2,603

$663 COP 2.1M

292.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for Houghton, MI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houghton, MI

$1.5K 54.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 58.3% $865

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houghton, MI

$407 14.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 48.6% $198

Groceries & Markets

Houghton, MI

$377 13.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 21% $79

Eating Out

Houghton, MI

$253 9.3%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 32.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Houghton, MI

$131 4.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 32.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Houghton, MI

$65 2.4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 9.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Houghton, MI

$19 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 413% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,833 in Houghton, MI and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houghton, MI pays 292% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Houghton, MI vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h behind Houghton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Houghton, MI Medellin 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Houghton, MI
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

Houghton, MI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 292% higher in Houghton, MI, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,833 in Houghton, MI versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Houghton, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,736 per month in Houghton, MI versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houghton, MI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Houghton, MI and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Houghton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.