Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baden

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,825 in Baden, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 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
186

Cost of Living Index in Baden
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Baden Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Baden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baden

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $3,825 in Baden, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Baden $3,825

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $5,558 in Baden, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Baden $5,558

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $7,291 in Baden, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Baden $7,291

Medellin is about 58% cheaper than Baden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Baden sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Baden by 183%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$34.26 CHF 28.22

-76.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$124 CHF 102

-62.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$17.62 CHF 14.51

-46.08%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$6.10 CHF 5.03

-49.02%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$5.87 CHF 4.84

-68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$5.18 CHF 4.26

-73.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$9.41 CHF 7.75

-67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$8.44 CHF 6.95

-34.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-28.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-56.36%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$7.93 CHF 6.53

-63.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$27.14 CHF 22.35

-62.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$28.23 CHF 23.25

-66.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$47.66 CHF 39.26

-70.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.99 CHF 3.28

2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-44.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.03 CHF 2.49

-28.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.68 CHF 3.85

-50.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-22.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-24.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-53.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$10.86 CHF 8.95

-63.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$12.03 CHF 9.91

10.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.93 CHF 2.41

-19.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$3.56 CHF 2.94

-66.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$106 CHF 87.4

-27.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$7.93 CHF 6.53

-83.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-53.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$88.1 CHF 72.5

-90.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$2.37 CHF 1.96

-45.15%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$40.4K CHF 33.3K

-30.74%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-10.31%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$278 CHF 229

-38.14%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$46.12 CHF 37.99

-71.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$64.0 CHF 52.7

-55.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$154 CHF 127

-70.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$48.23 CHF 39.72

-64.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$23.12 CHF 19.04

-72.84%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$3,492 CHF 2,876

-77.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

-72.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$143 CHF 118

-39.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$77.9 CHF 64.2

-26.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$163 CHF 134

-16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$194 CHF 160

-49.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$2,004 CHF 1,651

-47.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,699 CHF 1,399

-63.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$3,310 CHF 2,726

-42.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$2,391 CHF 1,969

-57.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$17.0K CHF 14.0K

-76.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$13.2K CHF 10.9K

-87.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$8,919 CHF 7,346

-92.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.42

352.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baden: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Baden

$1.7K 44.4% 176% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Baden

$618 16.2% 110% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Baden

$388 10.2% 81.3% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Baden

$260 6.8% 52.9% $90

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Baden

$508 13.3% 202% $340

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Baden

$151 4% 62.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Baden

$201 5.2% 247% $143

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $2,004 in Baden. 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 1267% higher in Baden, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $124 in Baden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $618 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Baden

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

15:41 3:41 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

19,168

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Baden 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baden

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 Baden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Baden is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $5,738 in Baden. 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.

Groceries cost about 110% more in Baden, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $124 in Baden. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Baden at $3,825. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Baden 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.

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