Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,082 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingston, NY, United States
Medellin, Colombia
Kingston, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$3,082
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,082 in Kingston, NY versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Kingston, NY $3,082
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,513 in Kingston, NY versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Kingston, NY $4,513
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,943 in Kingston, NY versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Kingston, NY $5,943
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Kingston, NY is roughly 88% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston, NY 126% above, Medellin 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.17 $25.17
$8.09 COP 26.1K
211.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.5 $78.5
$47.05 COP 151.9K
66.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.86 $14.86
$9.50 COP 30.7K
56.42%
Cappuccino
$6.17 $6.17
$3.01 COP 9,734
104.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.80 COP 5,809
48.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$1.41 COP 4,560
67.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.11 $8.11
$3.18 COP 10.3K
155.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.93 $8.93
$5.75 COP 18.6K
55.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.51 COP 4,875
-35.10%
White Bread (500g)
$4.72 $4.72
$2.38 COP 7,677
98.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.59 $6.59
$1.77 COP 5,719
272.32%
Eggs
$4.48 $4.48
$2.89 COP 9,332
55.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.84 $15.84
$10.19 COP 32.9K
55.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.65 $10.65
$9.87 COP 31.9K
7.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.20 $17.20
$13.99 COP 45.2K
22.94%
Apples (1kg)
$4.80 $4.80
$3.97 COP 12.8K
20.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.55 COP 5,011
-18.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$2.18 COP 7,047
116.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.74 $6.74
$2.18 COP 7,050
209.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.77 $3.77
$1.96 COP 6,336
92.35%
Onion (1kg)
$3.39 $3.39
$1.59 COP 5,131
113.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 $2.54
$1.15 COP 3,698
120.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 $1.86
$1.24 COP 4,014
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$16.96 $16.96
$3.96 COP 12.8K
328.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.17 $15.17
$13.68 COP 44.2K
10.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.66 COP 5,359
16.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 $3.48
$2.26 COP 7,290
53.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.09 $2.09
$1.17 COP 3,770
78.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.1 $61.1
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-21.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.19 $3.19
$1.27 COP 4,094
151.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 $1.82
$2.05 COP 6,611
-11.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.48 $26.48
$8.55 COP 27.6K
209.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.35 COP 4,348
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K $31.5K
$34.1K COP 110.0M
-7.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-26.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 $210
$170 COP 547.7K
24.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$67.2 $67.2
$13.55 COP 43.7K
395.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$79.0 $79.0
$28.07 COP 90.6K
181.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.10 $43.10
$43.70 COP 141.1K
-1.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.9 $58.9
$17.19 COP 55.5K
242.87%
Cinema Ticket
$14.95 $14.95
$6.91 COP 22.3K
116.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,452 $2,452
$797 COP 2.6M
207.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K $23.2K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
154.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.02 $49.02
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-42.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.80 $29.80
$58.0 COP 187.1K
-48.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.9 $81.9
$135 COP 435.7K
-39.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.3 $77.3
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-21.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 $1,861
$1,208 COP 3.9M
54.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 $1,630
$642 COP 2.1M
154.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,292 $3,292
$2,028 COP 6.5M
62.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,715 $2,715
$1,012 COP 3.3M
168.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,221 $3,221
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-22.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,238 $3,238
$1,910 COP 6.2M
69.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingston, NY
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,109 $3,109
$657 COP 2.1M
373.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.68
10.94
-38.94%

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

Last update for Kingston, NY: 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
Kingston, NY
$1.6K
Medellin
$642 60.6% $988
Groceries & Markets
Kingston, NY
$435
Medellin
$297 31.8% $138
Eating Out
Kingston, NY
$399
Medellin
$170 57.4% $229
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston, NY
$357
Medellin
$211 40.7% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Kingston, NY
$107
Medellin
$169 57.8% $62
Getting Around
Kingston, NY
$82
Medellin
$94 14.5% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Kingston, NY
$73
Medellin
$58 21.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,861 in Kingston, NY and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston, NY pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Kingston, NY vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Kingston, NY
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:53 8:53 AM
08:53 8:53 AM
Same time as Kingston, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,436
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kingston, NY Medellin 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingston, NY
  • 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
Kingston, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Kingston, NY?
Medellin is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kingston, NY or Medellin?
Average pay in Kingston, NY is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Kingston, NY and Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,861 in Kingston, NY versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Kingston, NY and in Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $3,082 per month in Kingston, NY versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Kingston, NY runs roughly 21% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Kingston, NY or in Medellin?
At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,082 in Kingston, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Kingston, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Kingston, NY or Medellin more family-friendly?
For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Kingston, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Kingston, NY vs other spots: cost of living compared

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