Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 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
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Basel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,669 in Basel.

Medellin $1,639
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $5,649 in Basel.

Medellin $2,413
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $7,629 in Basel.

Medellin $3,186
Basel $7,629

Living in Medellin costs roughly 55% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$30.27 CHF 25.06

-73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$125 CHF 103

-62.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$17.91 CHF 14.83

-46.96%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-53.83%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-72.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$5.91 CHF 4.89

-76.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$9.41 CHF 7.79

-66.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$9.48 CHF 7.85

-39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-34.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.04 CHF 2.52

-21.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$3.27 CHF 2.71

-45.87%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-63.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$26.34 CHF 21.81

-61.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$27.32 CHF 22.62

-63.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$41.15 CHF 34.07

-66.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.70 CHF 3.06

7.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-28.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$4.54 CHF 3.76

-51.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.68 CHF 1.39

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.91 CHF 1.58

-16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.15 CHF 9.23

-64.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.90 CHF 9.85

14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-77.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$105 CHF 86.7

-26.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-84.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-55.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$83.3 CHF 68.9

-89.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-44.21%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

-11.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-13.29%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$296 CHF 245

-42.59%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$46.31 CHF 38.34

-70.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$63.2 CHF 52.3

-55.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$82.0 CHF 67.9

-46.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$58.3 CHF 48.24

-70.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$22.84 CHF 18.91

-69.75%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$3,139 CHF 2,599

-74.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-72.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$144 CHF 120

-41.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$79.9 CHF 66.1

-27.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$159 CHF 132

-15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$195 CHF 162

-49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$2,087 CHF 1,728

-42.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,646 CHF 1,363

-61.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$3,618 CHF 2,995

-43.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,966 CHF 2,456

-65.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-76.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-86.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$7,080 CHF 5,862

-90.72%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 157% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Basel

$584 15.9% 96.5% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Basel

$405 11% 91.7% $194

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Basel

$490 13.3% 189% $320

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Basel

$261 7.1% 54.2% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Basel

$157 4.3% 67.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Basel

$128 3.5% 122% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $584 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

174,491

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Basel 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Basel

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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Basel. 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 91% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,669 in Basel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,639 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.