Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmar and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,953 per month in Kalmar vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Kalmar $1,953
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,895 per month in Kalmar vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Kalmar $2,895
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,837 per month in Kalmar vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Kalmar $3,837
Medellin $3,186

Kalmar costs about 19% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kalmar and Medellin sit above the global median – Kalmar by 44%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 SEK 152

$8.09 COP 25.6K

89.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 SEK 703

$47.05 COP 148.7K

51.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 SEK 104

$9.50 COP 30.0K

10.21%

Cappuccino

$4.67 SEK 46.20

$3.01 COP 9,532

55.15%

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

$2.81 SEK 27.82

$1.80 COP 5,688

56.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.22

$1.41 COP 4,465

80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 SEK 95.8

$3.18 COP 10.0K

204.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 SEK 71.7

$5.75 COP 18.2K

26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 SEK 14.58

$1.51 COP 4,774

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 SEK 29.80

$2.38 COP 7,517

26.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.37

$1.77 COP 5,601

73.45%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.00

$2.89 COP 9,138

60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.58 SEK 164

$10.19 COP 32.2K

62.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 SEK 108

$9.87 COP 31.2K

10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.80 SEK 225

$13.99 COP 44.2K

62.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.59

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-37.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 SEK 27.34

$1.55 COP 4,907

78.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.29

$2.18 COP 6,901

63.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 SEK 44.11

$2.18 COP 6,904

104.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.54

$1.96 COP 6,205

-14.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 SEK 22.46

$1.59 COP 5,025

42.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 SEK 19.04

$1.15 COP 3,622

67.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 SEK 16.53

$1.24 COP 3,930

34.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 SEK 77.0

$3.96 COP 12.5K

96.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 SEK 90.3

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.10

$1.66 COP 5,247

16.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SEK 25.15

$2.26 COP 7,139

12.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 SEK 31.74

$1.17 COP 3,692

174.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.4 SEK 775

$77.4 COP 244.6K

1.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 SEK 99.2

$1.27 COP 4,009

689.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.02

$2.05 COP 6,474

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.45 SEK 469

$8.55 COP 27.0K

454.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.86

$1.35 COP 4,258

26.67%

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

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

$34.1K COP 107.7M

-11.42%

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

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

$34.7K COP 109.6M

-15.41%

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

$144 SEK 1,428

$170 COP 536.4K

-14.87%

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

$27.58 SEK 273

$13.55 COP 42.8K

103.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.34 SEK 320

$28.07 COP 88.7K

15.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.33 SEK 300

$43.70 COP 138.2K

-30.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 SEK 261

$17.19 COP 54.3K

53.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 SEK 144

$6.91 COP 21.9K

111.00%

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

$142 SEK 1,399

$797 COP 2.5M

-82.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-45.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.41 SEK 488

$84.7 COP 267.8K

-41.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 SEK 438

$58.0 COP 183.2K

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 SEK 783

$135 COP 426.7K

-41.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SEK 990

$97.9 COP 309.4K

2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,977

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,687

$642 COP 2.0M

21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-34.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

10.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-2.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

43.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

335.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

10.94

-64.08%

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

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalmar

$778 39.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 17.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Kalmar

$384 19.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.7% $87

Eating Out

Kalmar

$295 15.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 42.5% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalmar

$204 10.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 3.4% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kalmar

$123 6.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 37.5% $46

Getting Around

Kalmar

$110 5.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 14.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kalmar

$59 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $908 in Kalmar versus $1,208 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 Kalmar are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Kalmar versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

09:54 9:54 AM

6 h behind Kalmar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,170

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.88 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.03 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalmar Medellin 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalmar
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

Kalmar vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,953 in Kalmar, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,930 per month in Kalmar and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $908 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,953 in Kalmar and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Kalmar and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,953 in Kalmar and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,953 in Kalmar. 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, Kalmar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.