Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aiken, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,436 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
Learn more

Aiken, SC Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aiken, SC

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 Aiken, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,436 in Aiken, SC.

Medellin $1,639
Aiken, SC $2,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,384 in Aiken, SC.

Medellin $2,413
Aiken, SC $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,332 in Aiken, SC.

Medellin $3,186
Aiken, SC $4,332

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Aiken, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Aiken, SC 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$15.28 $15.28

-47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$58.8 $58.8

-20.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.80 $10.80

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.69 $3.69

-18.43%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.18 $2.18

-17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.97 $1.97

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.84 $5.84

-45.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$8.53 $8.53

-32.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.02 $1.02

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.75 $2.75

-13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.31 $2.31

-23.38%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.59 $3.59

-19.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.15 $14.15

-27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.28 $6.28

57.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$18.71 $18.71

-25.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$8.72 $8.72

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.29 $2.29

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.93 $2.93

-25.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.87 $3.87

-43.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.95 $1.95

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.74 $2.74

-41.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.87 $1.87

-38.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.05 $2.05

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$7.16 $7.16

-44.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.05 $13.05

4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.01 $2.01

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.98 $2.98

-24.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.90 $4.90

-74.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$5.02 $5.02

-59.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$51.0 $51.0

-83.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.73 $0.73

84.93%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.3K $28.3K

20.34%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.7K $26.7K

30.04%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$222 $222

-23.53%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$66.2 $66.2

-79.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$84.2 $84.2

-66.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$56.6 $56.6

-22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$14.99 $14.99

-53.90%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$942 $942

-15.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$18.0K $18.0K

-49.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$64.7 $64.7

30.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.36 $44.36

30.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$114 $114

17.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$64.6 $64.6

51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,337 $1,337

-9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,191 $1,191

-46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,759 $1,759

15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,706 $1,706

-40.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,694 $1,694

146.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,359 $1,359

40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.57

66.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.9% 85.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Aiken, SC

$365 15% 23% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Aiken, SC

$372 15.3% 76.2% $161

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Aiken, SC

$262 10.7% 54.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Aiken, SC

$130 5.3% 23.3% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.2% 67.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Aiken, SC

$87 3.6% 50.5% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $59 in Aiken, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $365 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

28,829

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Aiken, SC 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aiken, SC

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 Aiken, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,654 in Aiken, SC to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $942 in Aiken, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.