Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McLean, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,998 in McLean, VA, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in McLean, VA
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McLean, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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McLean, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,998 per month in McLean, VA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

McLean, VA $2,998
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $4,767 per month in McLean, VA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

McLean, VA $4,767
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $6,536 per month in McLean, VA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

McLean, VA $6,536
Medellin $3,199

McLean, VA costs about 85% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both McLean, VA and Medellin sit above the global median – McLean, VA by 121%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 $16.76

$8.30 COP 26.3K

101.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 $69.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

49.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 $11.58

$9.24 COP 29.3K

25.32%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$3.05 COP 9,676

78.69%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$1.80 COP 5,707

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.38 COP 4,382

42.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.24 COP 10.3K

178.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$5.56 COP 17.6K

81.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.50 COP 4,760

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.37 COP 7,508

71.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.70 COP 5,377

30.00%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.96 COP 9,379

57.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$10.22 COP 32.4K

69.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.99 $16.99

$9.74 COP 30.9K

74.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$13.90 COP 44.1K

31.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$4.13 COP 13.1K

53.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.53 COP 4,839

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.22 COP 7,052

127.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.27 COP 7,194

152.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.99 COP 6,311

45.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.67 COP 5,285

123.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.18 COP 3,742

119.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.24 COP 3,919

113.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 $14.26

$3.87 COP 12.3K

268.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$13.78 COP 43.7K

13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.66 COP 5,256

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.40 COP 7,615

135.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.24 COP 3,944

98.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.28 COP 4,044

210.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.15 COP 6,803

-26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 $25.19

$8.37 COP 26.5K

200.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.35 COP 4,288

-32.59%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-0.02%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.36%

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

$207 $207

$167 COP 528.4K

24.36%

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

$75.4 $75.4

$13.62 COP 43.2K

453.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 $55.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

90.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.6 $90.6

$45.09 COP 143.0K

101.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$18.26 $18.26

$6.97 COP 22.1K

161.98%

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

$1,940 $1,940

$790 COP 2.5M

145.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

362.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-40.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 $44.07

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-24.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 $68.9

$139 COP 440.7K

-50.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 $66.0

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-33.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,836 $2,836

$1,028 COP 3.3M

175.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 $1,610

$620 COP 2.0M

159.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,942 $3,942

$1,881 COP 6.0M

109.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 $3,506

$1,008 COP 3.2M

247.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,722 $5,722

$663 COP 2.1M

762.67%

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 McLean, VA: 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

McLean, VA

$1.6K 53.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 61.5% $990

Groceries & Markets

McLean, VA

$480 16%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 38% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McLean, VA

$338 11.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 38.1% $129

Eating Out

McLean, VA

$317 10.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 46.1% $146

Sport & Entertainment

McLean, VA

$127 4.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 53.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

McLean, VA

$104 3.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 66.2% $69

Getting Around

McLean, VA

$22 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 339% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,836 in McLean, VA versus $1,028 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 run about 763% higher in McLean, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in McLean, VA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McLean, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind McLean, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,115

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

McLean, VA Medellin 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

McLean, VA
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

McLean, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,998 in McLean, VA, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,496 per month in McLean, VA and $2,437 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,998 in McLean, VA and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 85%.

Kindergarten costs $1,940 per month in McLean, VA and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in McLean, VA at $2,998. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in McLean, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $2,998 in McLean, VA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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