Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,750 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,750 in Arendal.

Medellin $1,639
Arendal $2,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,932 in Arendal.

Medellin $2,413
Arendal $3,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,113 in Arendal.

Medellin $3,186
Arendal $5,113

Living in Medellin costs roughly 40% less than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Arendal 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$20.71 NOK 192

-60.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$67.1 NOK 624

-29.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$16.06 NOK 149

-40.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.51 NOK 51.2

-45.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.75 NOK 34.87

-52.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$3.42 NOK 31.76

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$11.85 NOK 110

-73.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$10.58 NOK 98.3

-45.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.49 NOK 23.14

-39.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.55 NOK 32.97

-32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.01 NOK 37.24

-55.86%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.76 NOK 44.23

-39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.98 NOK 139

-31.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$14.93 NOK 139

-33.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$34.94 NOK 325

-59.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.61 NOK 33.50

9.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.75 NOK 25.55

-43.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.49 NOK 32.39

-37.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.99 NOK 46.34

-56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.56 NOK 23.79

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.16 NOK 29.34

-49.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.90 NOK 26.97

-60.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.42 NOK 22.53

-48.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$18.37 NOK 171

-78.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.07 NOK 140

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.74 NOK 34.78

-55.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.45 NOK 41.31

-49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$3.78 NOK 35.12

-69.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$94.4 NOK 877

-18.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$6.36 NOK 59.1

-80.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.82 NOK 16.88

12.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$108 NOK 1,007

-92.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.33 NOK 21.67

-42.06%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$49.6K NOK 461.2K

-31.38%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$41.7K NOK 387.5K

-16.88%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$263 NOK 2,440

-35.41%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$34.00 NOK 316

-60.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$79.7 NOK 741

-64.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$37.05 NOK 344

17.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$15.90 NOK 148

-56.54%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$335 NOK 3,108

138.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$14.5K NOK 134.9K

-37.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$131 NOK 1,213

-35.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.64 NOK 415

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$130 NOK 1,209

3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$210 NOK 1,948

-53.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,053 NOK 9,785

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,593 NOK 14.8K

27.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,518 NOK 14.1K

-33.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,347 NOK 40.4K

-4.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,230 NOK 30.0K

-40.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,235 NOK 39.3K

-84.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.68

133.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3% 64.2% $412

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Arendal

$506 18.4% 70.3% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Arendal

$376 13.7% 78.2% $165

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Arendal

$389 14.2% 129% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Arendal

$232 8.4% 37.1% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Arendal

$125 4.5% 33.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Arendal

$69 2.5% 19.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,159 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $67 in Arendal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $506 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

46,406

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Arendal 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arendal

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 Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Arendal differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,639 vs $2,750 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,159 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $335 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,750 in Arendal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Arendal. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Arendal on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.