Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alesund

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,329 in Alesund, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Alesund $2,329

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,663 in Alesund, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Alesund $3,663

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,997 in Alesund, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Alesund $4,997

Medellin is about 31% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Alesund sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Alesund by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$21.26 NOK 200

-62.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$88.8 NOK 836

-48.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$13.23 NOK 125

-28.19%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.07 NOK 38.31

-23.59%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.08 NOK 19.55

-12.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.35 NOK 22.12

-41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$11.33 NOK 107

-73.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$9.62 NOK 90.6

-42.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.21 NOK 20.78

-34.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.04 NOK 28.64

-22.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.08 NOK 28.99

-45.45%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-34.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$14.88 NOK 140

-31.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$13.80 NOK 130

-30.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$20.84 NOK 196

-32.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.63 NOK 24.72

54.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.27 NOK 21.34

-33.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.26 NOK 21.28

-3.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.66 NOK 34.46

-36.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-21.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.54 NOK 14.45

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$3.00 NOK 28.19

-62.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.82 NOK 17.11

-31.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$14.98 NOK 141

-73.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$18.89 NOK 178

-29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.48 NOK 32.73

-51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.93 NOK 36.99

-39.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$5.07 NOK 47.76

-76.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$87.3 NOK 822

-12.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$12.15 NOK 114

-89.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.91 NOK 18.03

12.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$73.0 NOK 687

-88.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$2.19 NOK 20.59

-40.64%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

-42.29%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

-17.18%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$285 NOK 2,683

-39.63%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$32.82 NOK 309

-59.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$59.2 NOK 557

-51.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$58.6 NOK 552

-22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$31.12 NOK 293

-45.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$17.43 NOK 164

-63.97%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$235 NOK 2,209

228.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

254.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$86.7 NOK 816

-0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$45.43 NOK 428

25.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$115 NOK 1,082

18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$139 NOK 1,312

-29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

-3.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$783 NOK 7,368

-21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

63.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

-36.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

-9.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

-30.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

-84.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.22

159.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Alesund

$783 33.6% 27.1% $167

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Alesund

$420 18% 42.5% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Alesund

$377 16.2% 76% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Alesund

$174 7.5% 2.2% $3.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Alesund

$352 15.1% 109% $184

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Alesund

$129 5.6% 38.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Alesund

$93 4% 61.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,090 in Alesund. 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 547% higher in Alesund, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $89.0 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $420 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

15:41 3:41 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

58,683

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Alesund 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alesund

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 Alesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $2,329 in Alesund – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,493 in Alesund. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $89.0 in Alesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $2,329 in Alesund. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund 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 $1,614 in Medellin to $2,329 in Alesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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