Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,813 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aarau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Aarau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,813 in Aarau, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Aarau $2,813

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,613 in Aarau, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Aarau $4,613

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,413 in Aarau, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Aarau $6,413

Medellin is about 42% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Aarau sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$29.72 CHF 24.51

-72.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$107 CHF 88.6

-56.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$18.33 CHF 15.12

-48.17%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.90 CHF 4.87

-48.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$5.27 CHF 4.35

-65.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-70.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.48 CHF 5.35

-11.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-27.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-33.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-33.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$7.06 CHF 5.82

-59.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$31.59 CHF 26.06

-67.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$29.34 CHF 24.20

-66.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$41.32 CHF 34.08

-66.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.86 CHF 2.36

38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.41 CHF 1.99

-9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$5.75 CHF 4.74

-62.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.70 CHF 1.40

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-18.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.11 CHF 0.91

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.84 CHF 8.94

-63.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.46 CHF 8.62

30.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.88 CHF 2.37

-21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-76.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$147 CHF 122

-47.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.51 CHF 3.72

-71.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.87 CHF 2.37

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$60.8 CHF 50.2

-85.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-38.36%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-11.69%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-10.26%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$121 CHF 99.6

40.56%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$28.73 CHF 23.69

-52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$57.3 CHF 47.25

-51.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-55.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$61.5 CHF 50.7

-72.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$21.92 CHF 18.08

-68.48%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$3,172 CHF 2,616

-74.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$24.4K CHF 20.2K

-62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$90.1 CHF 74.3

-5.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$71.5 CHF 59.0

-18.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$109 CHF 89.8

23.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$168 CHF 138

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,263 CHF 1,041

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,041 CHF 859

-38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,272 CHF 1,874

-10.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,155 CHF 1,777

-53.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-84.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$6,963 CHF 5,743

-90.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.31

373.59%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Aarau

$1K 37% 62.3% $399

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Aarau

$595 21.1% 100% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 2.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Aarau

$447 15.9% 163% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Aarau

$197 7% 16.7% $28

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Aarau

$186 6.6% 98.8% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Aarau

$141 5% 145% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,263 in Aarau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aarau are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $107 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $595 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,191

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Aarau 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aarau

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

Medellin vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 72% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,220 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,263 in Aarau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $3,172 in Aarau. 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 $1,639, than in Aarau at $2,813. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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