Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Asker

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,736 in Asker, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Asker
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Asker Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Asker

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Asker

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,736 in Asker, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Asker $2,736

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $3,894 in Asker, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Asker $3,894

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $5,053 in Asker, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Asker $5,053

Medellin is about 41% cheaper than Asker, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Asker sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Asker by 102%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$20.81 NOK 196

-60.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$62.8 NOK 591

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$12.34 NOK 116

-25.12%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$6.05 NOK 57.0

-49.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.82 NOK 26.55

-36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.83 NOK 17.23

-24.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$11.85 NOK 112

-72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$11.43 NOK 108

-51.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.30 NOK 21.64

-34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$3.35 NOK 31.56

-29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$3.67 NOK 34.54

-53.68%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.47 NOK 32.70

-14.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$3.75 NOK 35.29

172.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$11.70 NOK 110

-16.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.54 NOK 80.4

62.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.28 NOK 30.87

25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.66 NOK 25.01

-42.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.57 NOK 33.60

-37.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.64 NOK 43.70

-51.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.64 NOK 24.85

-24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.92 NOK 27.49

-42.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.56 NOK 14.65

-24.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.08 NOK 19.55

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$18.51 NOK 174

-79.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$16.73 NOK 158

-17.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$3.35 NOK 31.52

-50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$4.15 NOK 39.02

-42.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$4.65 NOK 43.77

-73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$80.1 NOK 754

-2.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$11.83 NOK 111

-89.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.80 NOK 16.95

19.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$68.2 NOK 642

-87.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.25 NOK 21.18

-40.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$48.9K NOK 460.1K

-28.88%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$43.8K NOK 412.7K

-20.89%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$416 NOK 3,914

-59.91%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$30.73 NOK 289

-55.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$31.58 NOK 297

-7.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$49.84 NOK 469

-9.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$36.23 NOK 341

-52.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$15.45 NOK 145

-54.89%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$237 NOK 2,231

233.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

-41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$99.8 NOK 940

-12.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$60.0 NOK 565

-3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$134 NOK 1,260

3.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$154 NOK 1,452

-35.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,505 NOK 14.2K

-31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,126 NOK 10.6K

-44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,148 NOK 20.2K

-12.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,794 NOK 16.9K

-43.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$6,009 NOK 56.6K

-33.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$4,061 NOK 38.2K

-58.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$3,913 NOK 36.8K

-83.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.87

182.69%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Asker: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Asker

$1.1K 41.1% 81.7% $506

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Asker

$354 12.9% 18.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Asker

$478 17.5% 128% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Asker

$202 7.4% 16.7% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Asker

$377 13.8% 121% $206

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Asker

$120 4.4% 25.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Asker

$81 3% 36.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,505 in Asker. 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 490% higher in Asker, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $63.0 in Asker. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $354 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Asker

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

99,214

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Asker 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Asker

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 Asker: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asker costs about 68% 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 $2,437 per month in Medellin and $4,104 in Asker. 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.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $237 in Asker. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Asker, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Asker at $2,736. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asker it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,625 versus $2,736 in Asker. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Asker makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.