Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,908 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balzan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,908 in Balzan, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Balzan $1,908

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,889 in Balzan, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Balzan $2,889

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,870 in Balzan, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Balzan $3,870

Medellin is about 11% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Balzan sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Balzan by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$18.29 €16.28

-54.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$88.9 €79.1

-47.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$11.99 €10.67

-21.02%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.13 €2.78

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.97 €1.76

-10.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.02 €0.91

39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.31 €2.95

-4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.58 €2.30

120.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.22 €1.08

25.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.96 €0.86

138.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$3.42 €3.04

-43.27%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$4.34 €3.86

-29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$10.46 €9.31

-4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.96 €7.98

16.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$12.54 €11.16

11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.50 €2.22

62.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.96 €1.75

-21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.71 €1.52

22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.15 €1.02

99.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.93 €0.83

126.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.90 €0.80

90.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.87 €0.77

34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.98 €0.87

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.11 €5.44

-36.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$5.91 €5.27

137.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.09 €0.97

61.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.44 €1.28

88.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$3.11 €2.77

-62.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.25 €2.01

-19.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.81 €1.61

17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$33.12 €29.49

-75.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.46 €1.30

-12.33%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$27.6K €24.6K

24.78%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$32.4K €28.9K

5.20%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$156 €139

14.23%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$20.31 €18.09

-31.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$28.78 €25.62

6.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$65.1 €58.0

-35.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$27.79 €24.75

-39.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.21 €9.98

-33.36%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$282 €251

180.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$12.2K €10.9K

0.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$57.9 €51.6

49.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$67.6 €60.2

-12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$114 €101

21.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$128 €114

-23.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,139 €1,014

17.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$930 €828

-28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,773 €1,579

11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,484 €1,321

-30.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,921 €3,491

4.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,936 €2,615

-33.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,004 €894

-35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.05

170.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Balzan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Balzan

$930 48.7% 39.4% $263

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Balzan

$243 12.8% 20.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Balzan

$205 10.7% 7.9% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Balzan

$253 13.3% 46.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Balzan

$166 8.7% 3.9% $6.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 74.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Balzan

$88 4.6% 53.8% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,139 in Balzan. 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 55% higher in Balzan. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $89 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $243 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,700

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Balzan 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Balzan

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 Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,908 in Balzan – Medellin comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,862 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,139 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $89 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,908 in Balzan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $1,908 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balzan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.