Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Astoria, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,296 in Astoria, NY, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Astoria, NY
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Astoria, NY Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Astoria, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,296

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Astoria, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,296 in Astoria, NY.

Medellin $1,639
Astoria, NY $3,296

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $4,596 in Astoria, NY.

Medellin $2,413
Astoria, NY $4,596

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,896 in Astoria, NY.

Medellin $3,186
Astoria, NY $5,896

Living in Medellin costs roughly 50% less than in Astoria, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Astoria, NY 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$19.16 $19.16

-57.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$80.6 $80.6

-41.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$10.19 $10.19

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.46 $4.46

-32.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.63 $1.63

10.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.81 $1.81

-22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.13 $5.13

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$7.80 $7.80

-26.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.13 $1.13

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.79 $3.79

-37.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.83 $3.83

-53.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.53 $3.53

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$16.48 $16.48

-38.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$8.84 $8.84

11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.43 $13.43

4.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.95 $3.95

0.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.87 $1.87

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.56 $2.56

-14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.83 $3.83

-43.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.47 $2.47

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.37 $2.37

-32.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.95 $1.95

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$2.56 $2.56

-51.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$14.60 $14.60

-72.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$20.14 $20.14

-32.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.76 $1.76

-5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.34 $3.34

-32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$3.06 $3.06

-61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$142 $142

-45.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.94 $2.94

-56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.22 $2.22

-7.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$42.29 $42.29

-79.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.89 $0.89

51.69%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$30.3K $30.3K

12.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$25.9K $25.9K

33.62%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$113 $113

50.53%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$56.8 $56.8

-76.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$50.2 $50.2

-44.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$45.60 $45.60

-4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$19.75 $19.75

-65.01%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$3,035 $3,035

-73.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$34.2K $34.2K

-73.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$25.44 $25.44

233.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$20.12 $20.12

188.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$29.45 $29.45

358.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$50.2 $50.2

95.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,298 $2,298

-47.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$2,095 $2,095

-69.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,784 $3,784

-46.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,131 $3,131

-67.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.45

69.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Astoria, NY: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Astoria, NY

$2.1K 63.6% 227% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Astoria, NY

$379 11.5% 27.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Astoria, NY

$220 6.7% 4% $8.4

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Astoria, NY

$292 8.9% 72.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Astoria, NY

$56 1.7% 66.7% $113

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Astoria, NY

$168 5.1% 80.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Astoria, NY

$85 2.6% 47.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $2,298 in Astoria, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $81 in Astoria, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $379 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Astoria, NY

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

150,165

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Astoria, NY 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Astoria, NY

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 Astoria, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $3,296 in Astoria, NY, so Medellin is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $4,944 in Astoria, NY to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,298 in Astoria, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $3,296 in Astoria, NY – Medellin is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 46% less than in Astoria, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,296 in Astoria, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Astoria, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Astoria, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Astoria, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.