Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Arbon $7,651

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

Both Medellin and Arbon sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Arbon by 178%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$30.86 CHF 25.21

-72.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$144 CHF 117

-67.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$19.65 CHF 16.05

-51.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-47.66%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$5.82 CHF 4.76

-69.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$5.11 CHF 4.18

-72.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$9.19 CHF 7.51

-65.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-8.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-30.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-26.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$3.68 CHF 3.01

-47.28%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-61.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$25.26 CHF 20.63

-60.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$28.83 CHF 23.56

-63.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$41.88 CHF 34.22

-66.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.48 CHF 2.84

16.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-13.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$5.44 CHF 4.45

-57.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$2.04 CHF 1.67

3.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$2.12 CHF 1.73

-19.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.20 CHF 0.98

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-64.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$16.77 CHF 13.70

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.34 CHF 1.91

15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-76.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$100 CHF 82.0

-24.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$6.88 CHF 5.62

-73.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-56.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$36.81 CHF 30.07

-77.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$2.37 CHF 1.94

-45.99%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$40.1K CHF 32.8K

-14.10%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-15.23%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$321 CHF 262

-44.57%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$38.33 CHF 31.31

-63.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$54.5 CHF 44.55

-43.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$41.46 CHF 33.87

-59.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$24.19 CHF 19.76

-69.12%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$2,284 CHF 1,866

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$146 CHF 119

-40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$65.1 CHF 53.2

-8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$144 CHF 118

-4.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$187 CHF 153

-47.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$2,023 CHF 1,653

-33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,740 CHF 1,421

-61.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,949 CHF 2,409

-33.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,929 CHF 2,393

-64.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-70.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$11.5K CHF 9,397

-83.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$11.3K CHF 9,245

-94.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.9

475.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 161% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 93.7% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Arbon

$414 11% 86% $191

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 178% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 41.6% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Arbon

$152 4% 62.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 145% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $595 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,853

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.817 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Arbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $3,763 in Arbon – Medellin comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $5,645 in Arbon. 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 $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Medellin about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 24% 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 Arbon at $3,763. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.