Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Medellin $3,186

Manchester costs about 52% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Medellin sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.08

$8.09 COP 26.1K

149.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.1

$47.05 COP 151.9K

82.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.01

$9.50 COP 30.7K

13.05%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$3.01 COP 9,734

55.48%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$1.80 COP 5,809

35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.41 COP 4,560

14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.80

$3.18 COP 10.3K

144.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$5.75 COP 18.6K

16.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.51 COP 4,875

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.40

$2.38 COP 7,677

-21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.77 COP 5,719

9.60%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$2.89 COP 9,332

41.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.16

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-5.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.70

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-9.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.49

$13.99 COP 45.2K

10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-22.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.55 COP 5,011

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.18 COP 7,047

35.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.18 COP 7,050

53.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.96 COP 6,336

-22.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.59 COP 5,131

-15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.15 COP 3,698

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.24 COP 4,014

-0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.93

$3.96 COP 12.8K

507.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.12

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$1.66 COP 5,359

46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$2.26 COP 7,290

40.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$1.17 COP 3,770

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.4

$77.4 COP 249.8K

39.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$1.27 COP 4,094

255.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.65

$2.05 COP 6,611

8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £22.98

$8.55 COP 27.6K

260.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.35 COP 4,348

58.52%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

12.90%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

15.51%

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

$252 £188

$170 COP 547.7K

48.81%

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

$16.23 £12.10

$13.55 COP 43.7K

19.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.51

$28.07 COP 90.6K

41.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.81

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-2.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.46

$17.19 COP 55.5K

5.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.02

$6.91 COP 22.3K

94.50%

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

$1,494 £1,114

$797 COP 2.6M

87.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

116.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.3

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.04

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.8

$135 COP 435.7K

-29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.0

$97.9 COP 316.0K

8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,331

$1,208 COP 3.9M

47.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £911

$642 COP 2.1M

90.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,185

$2,028 COP 6.5M

44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,416

$1,012 COP 3.3M

87.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,480

$4,170 COP 13.5M

11.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,278

$1,910 COP 6.2M

130.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,531

$657 COP 2.1M

416.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

10.94

-55.94%

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

Last update for Manchester: 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

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 47.5% $581

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 31.5% $97

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 0.6% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.7% $22

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 30.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester 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 Manchester are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

5 h behind Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manchester Medellin 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester
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

Manchester vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester 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 $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,499 in Manchester and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,499 in Manchester. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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