Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Athlone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,688 in Athlone.

Medellin $1,692
Athlone $2,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,966 in Athlone.

Medellin $2,471
Athlone $3,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $5,244 in Athlone.

Medellin $3,249
Athlone $5,244

Living in Medellin costs roughly 37% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Athlone 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$22.04 €19.66

-62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$101 €89.8

-53.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$13.06 €11.65

-27.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.84 €3.43

-18.49%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$2.13 €1.90

-16.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.91 €1.71

-25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.79 €6.05

-53.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.64 €5.03

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.41 €1.26

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.32 €1.17

73.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.75 €1.56

10.86%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$3.87 €3.46

-20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.04 €9.85

-9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$11.36 €10.13

-8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$11.82 €10.54

18.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.60 €2.32

55.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.64 €1.46

-6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$2.41 €2.15

-12.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$2.77 €2.47

-17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$2.51 €2.24

-15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$2.29 €2.05

-25.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$2.13 €1.90

-45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.89 €1.69

-16.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$17.94 €16.00

-78.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$11.10 €9.90

26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$3.27 €2.92

-46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$4.41 €3.94

-38.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.82 €1.63

-35.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$102 €91.4

-25.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$5.06 €4.51

-64.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.46 €1.30

45.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$31.05 €27.69

-73.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.98 €1.77

-35.35%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$39.7K €35.4K

-13.16%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$37.5K €33.5K

-9.06%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$254 €227

-30.09%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$30.71 €27.40

-54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$47.71 €42.56

-35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$48.70 €43.44

-13.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$34.91 €31.14

-51.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$11.12 €9.92

-32.82%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$990 €883

-20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$5,200 €4,638

136.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$114 €102

-24.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$41.19 €36.74

43.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$86.8 €77.4

59.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$76.6 €68.4

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,510 €1,347

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,384 €1,235

-51.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,620 €2,337

-24.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,270 €2,025

-54.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$3,301 €2,945

24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$3,384 €3,018

-42.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,150 €2,810

-79.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.73

193.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Athlone

$1.4K 51.5% 108% $717

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Athlone

$312 11.6% 1.6% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Athlone

$333 12.4% 49.6% $110

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Athlone

$323 12% 87.1% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Athlone

$143 5.3% 16.8% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Athlone

$122 4.5% 30.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Athlone

$71 2.6% 24.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,510 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $101 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $312 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Athlone 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Athlone

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 Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,510 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 26% less than in Athlone. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $2,688 in Athlone – Medellin is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,688 in Athlone, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Athlone. 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, Athlone on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.