Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Basildon

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,374 in Basildon, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Basildon, United Kingdom
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Basildon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,374
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Basildon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,374 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Basildon $2,374

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,407 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Basildon $3,407

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,441 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Basildon $4,441

Medellin is about 31% cheaper than Basildon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Basildon sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Basildon by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$20.45 £15.35
-60.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$59.5 £44.64
-20.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$9.14 £6.86
3.94%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$4.76 £3.57
-36.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$3.21 £2.41
-43.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$1.57 £1.18
-10.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$6.78 £5.08
-53.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$3.92 £2.94
46.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.32 £0.99
14.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.10 £1.58
13.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.52 £1.14
16.45%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$4.05 £3.04
-28.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$8.53 £6.40
19.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$4.63 £3.47
113.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$11.84 £8.88
18.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$3.14 £2.36
26.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.30 £0.98
19.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$1.99 £1.49
9.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$3.26 £2.44
-33.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$1.56 £1.17
25.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$1.85 £1.38
-14.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.06 £0.79
8.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.18 £0.89
5.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$20.22 £15.17
-80.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$10.71 £8.03
27.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$2.34 £1.76
-29.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$1.63 £1.22
38.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$2.68 £2.01
-56.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$67.6 £50.8
14.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$5.30 £3.97
-76.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.93 £1.45
-30.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$38.2K £28.7K
-10.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$40.3K £30.3K
-14.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$284 £213
-40.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$13.36 £10.02
1.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$35.04 £26.29
-19.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$44.46 £33.36
-1.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$27.04 £20.29
-36.43%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$14.08 £10.57
-50.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$2,229 £1,673
-64.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$29.2K £21.9K
-68.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$75.6 £56.8
12.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$52.4 £39.32
10.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$54.3 £40.75
148.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$52.8 £39.61
85.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,677 £1,258
-27.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$1,219 £915
-47.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$2,358 £1,769
-14.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$2,012 £1,509
-49.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$5,273 £3,956
-20.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,358 £2,520
-43.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Basildon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,893 £2,171
-77.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.4
102.59%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basildon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Basildon
$1.2K 90% $578
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Basildon
$252 15.3% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Basildon
$332 57.3% $121
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Basildon
$309 82.2% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Basildon
$106 37.4% $63
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Basildon
$84 * 10.6% $9.9
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Basildon
$73 26.2% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,677 in Basildon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Basildon are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $59 in Basildon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $252 in Basildon – so Basildon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇧 Basildon
🕒 Local time
23:02 11:02 PM
04:02 4:02 AM
5 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
184,479
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Basildon 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Basildon

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 Basildon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Basildon?
Basildon costs about 45% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Basildon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,561 in Basildon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Basildon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,677 in Basildon.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Basildon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,374 in Basildon. That makes Medellin about 31% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Medellin compared to Basildon?
Public transport costs about 13% less in Basildon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Medellin or to Basildon?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Basildon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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