Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,740 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Altstätten

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $3,740 in Altstätten, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Altstätten $3,740

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $5,258 in Altstätten, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Altstätten $5,258

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $6,776 in Altstätten, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Altstätten $6,776

Medellin is about 55% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Altstätten sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Altstätten by 177%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$30.38 CHF 24.77

-72.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$121 CHF 98.8

-61.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$18.27 CHF 14.90

-48.17%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$6.23 CHF 5.08

-49.76%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$5.40 CHF 4.40

-67.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-71.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$9.25 CHF 7.54

-65.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$7.50 CHF 6.12

-24.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$2.19 CHF 1.78

-30.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$3.63 CHF 2.96

-36.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$3.69 CHF 3.01

-47.43%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$7.92 CHF 6.46

-61.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$26.62 CHF 21.71

-62.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$28.09 CHF 22.91

-62.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$40.58 CHF 33.09

-65.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.50 CHF 2.86

15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.05 CHF 1.67

-25.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.73 CHF 2.23

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$4.81 CHF 3.93

-52.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.80 CHF 1.47

17.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.26 CHF 1.03

25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.83 CHF 8.83

-63.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$12.24 CHF 9.98

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$2.82 CHF 2.30

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$3.09 CHF 2.52

-12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$4.32 CHF 3.52

-72.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$99.1 CHF 80.8

-22.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$7.50 CHF 6.11

-75.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$4.18 CHF 3.41

-49.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$72.6 CHF 59.2

-88.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$2.35 CHF 1.92

-45.53%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$42.1K CHF 34.3K

-18.18%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$38.9K CHF 31.7K

-12.30%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$256 CHF 209

-30.51%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$30.76 CHF 25.08

-54.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$58.5 CHF 47.70

-47.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$75.6 CHF 61.7

-44.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$43.38 CHF 35.37

-61.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$20.89 CHF 17.04

-64.24%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$2,539 CHF 2,071

-68.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$34.3K CHF 28.0K

-64.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$134 CHF 110

-35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$71.0 CHF 57.9

-16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$165 CHF 135

-16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$193 CHF 158

-48.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,720 CHF 1,403

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,812 CHF 1,478

-63.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,810 CHF 2,291

-29.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,294 CHF 1,871

-54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$15.8K CHF 12.9K

-74.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$11.8K CHF 9,587

-83.50%

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 Altstätten: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Altstätten

$1.8K 48.5% 172% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Altstätten

$591 15.8% 92.3% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Altstätten

$345 9.2% 55.2% $123

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Altstätten

$475 12.7% 175% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Altstätten

$254 6.8% 47.3% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Altstätten

$145 3.9% 54.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Altstätten

$117 3.1% 106% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,720 in Altstätten. 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 $121 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $591 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

11,145

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.915 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Altstätten 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Altstätten

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 Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $5,610 in Altstätten. 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 $1,720 in Altstätten.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $3,740 in Altstätten. That makes Medellin about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 23% 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 Altstätten at $3,740. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten 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 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.