Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Airolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,536 in Airolo, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Airolo

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $3,536 in Airolo, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Airolo $3,536

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $5,247 in Airolo, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Airolo $5,247

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $6,958 in Airolo, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Airolo $6,958

Medellin is about 52% cheaper than Airolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Airolo sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Airolo by 162%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$31.81 CHF 26.02

-73.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$115 CHF 94.1

-59.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$20.32 CHF 16.62

-53.40%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$6.50 CHF 5.32

-51.85%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$6.11 CHF 5.00

-71.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$5.61 CHF 4.59

-74.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$9.60 CHF 7.85

-67.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$6.59 CHF 5.39

-13.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.88 CHF 1.54

-18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$3.91 CHF 3.20

-41.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$4.29 CHF 3.51

-54.78%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$7.18 CHF 5.87

-57.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$24.80 CHF 20.28

-59.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$26.99 CHF 22.08

-61.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$38.28 CHF 31.31

-63.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$3.30 CHF 2.70

22.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$2.14 CHF 1.75

-28.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$2.57 CHF 2.10

-18.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$4.12 CHF 3.37

-44.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$2.09 CHF 1.71

0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$2.17 CHF 1.77

-21.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$2.47 CHF 2.02

-52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.40 CHF 1.14

12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$11.86 CHF 9.70

-67.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$11.57 CHF 9.46

21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$3.08 CHF 2.52

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$3.47 CHF 2.84

-21.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$4.72 CHF 3.86

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$93.6 CHF 76.6

-18.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$7.24 CHF 5.92

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$5.28 CHF 4.32

-59.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$81.2 CHF 66.4

-89.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$2.59 CHF 2.12

-50.58%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$37.1K CHF 30.4K

-7.21%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$45.4K CHF 37.1K

-24.83%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$269 CHF 220

-33.85%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$31.34 CHF 25.64

-55.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$58.7 CHF 47.99

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$89.1 CHF 72.9

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

$45.65 CHF 37.33

-63.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$26.14 CHF 21.38

-71.42%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$2,802 CHF 2,292

-71.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$37.5K CHF 30.7K

-67.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$143 CHF 117

-39.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$65.6 CHF 53.7

-9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$177 CHF 144

-21.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$209 CHF 171

-52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,565 CHF 1,280

-14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$1,550 CHF 1,268

-56.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,873 CHF 2,350

-31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,414 CHF 1,974

-57.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

-70.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

$11.3K CHF 9,213

-82.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.03

438.92%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Airolo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Airolo

$1.5K 43.8% 132% $883

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Airolo

$571 16.2% 85.8% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Airolo

$359 10.1% 61.3% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Airolo

$502 14.2% 191% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Airolo

$267 7.6% 55.3% $95

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Airolo

$146 4.1% 56.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Airolo

$141 4% 149% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,565 in Airolo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $115 in Airolo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $571 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Airolo

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

15:43 3:43 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Airolo 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Airolo

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 Airolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Airolo costs about 109% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $5,304 in Airolo. 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 $1,341 there versus $1,565 in Airolo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $3,536 in Airolo. That makes Medellin about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Airolo at $3,536. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Airolo 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.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.