Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,225 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

201

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,225

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,225 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Long Island, NY $4,225
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,930 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,930
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $7,634 per month in Long Island, NY vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,634
Medellin $3,186

Long Island, NY costs about 158% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Long Island, NY and Medellin sit above the global median – Long Island, NY by 210%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.14 $25.14

$8.09 COP 26.1K

210.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$47.05 COP 151.7K

109.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$9.50 COP 30.6K

15.68%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$3.01 COP 9,722

68.77%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.80 COP 5,801

18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.41 COP 4,554

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.18 COP 10.2K

152.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.75 COP 18.5K

37.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.51 COP 4,869

-12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.38 COP 7,667

78.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.77 COP 5,712

9.60%

Eggs

$5.26 $5.26

$2.89 COP 9,320

82.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-29.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$9.87 COP 31.8K

20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.99 COP 45.1K

15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.97 COP 12.8K

7.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.55 COP 5,005

-22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.18 COP 7,039

-5.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.18 COP 7,041

182.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.96 COP 6,328

-45.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.59 COP 5,125

37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.15 COP 3,694

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.24 COP 4,009

129.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$3.96 COP 12.8K

199.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.58 $17.58

$13.68 COP 44.1K

28.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.66 COP 5,352

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.26 COP 7,281

80.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.17 COP 3,766

153.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 $130

$77.4 COP 249.5K

67.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.27 COP 4,089

135.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.05 COP 6,603

-2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.41 $24.41

$8.55 COP 27.6K

185.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.35 COP 4,343

-17.78%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.30%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-24.21%

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

$192 $192

$170 COP 547.0K

13.04%

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

$48.26 $48.26

$13.55 COP 43.7K

256.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 $53.7

$28.07 COP 90.5K

91.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.30 $31.30

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-28.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$17.19 COP 55.4K

492.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 $14.69

$6.91 COP 22.3K

112.59%

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

$2,444 $2,444

$797 COP 2.6M

206.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

158.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.07 $40.07

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-52.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 $76.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-43.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$97.9 COP 315.6K

58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,189 $3,189

$1,208 COP 3.9M

164.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 $2,820

$642 COP 2.1M

339.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$2,028 COP 6.5M

179.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,315 $4,315

$1,012 COP 3.3M

326.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,973 $5,973

$4,170 COP 13.4M

43.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 $4,241

$1,910 COP 6.2M

121.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,981 $4,981

$657 COP 2.1M

657.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

10.94

-39.40%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Island, NY

$2.8K 66.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 77.3% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$382 9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.2% $85

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$366 8.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.6% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$294 7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 28.1% $82

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$154 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$148 3.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$61 1.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,189 in Long Island, NY 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 Long Island, NY are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Long Island, NY versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

Same time as Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Long Island, NY Medellin 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, 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

Long Island, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,225 in Long Island, NY, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,337 per month in Long Island, NY 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $3,189 in Long Island, NY.

Kindergarten costs $2,444 per month in Long Island, NY and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Long Island, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Long Island, NY at $4,225. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $4,225 in Long Island, NY. 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, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.