Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Belize City

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize City: $1,236 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Belize City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,236 in Belize City.

Medellin $1,639
Belize City $1,236

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,798 in Belize City.

Medellin $2,413
Belize City $1,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,360 in Belize City.

Medellin $3,186
Belize City $2,360

Living in Medellin is roughly 33% more expensive than in Belize City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Belize City is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.40 BZD 12.81

26.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$49.73 BZD 99.5

-5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.65 BZD 19.30

-1.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.59 BZD 7.17

-16.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.72 BZD 3.44

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.41 BZD 2.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.59 BZD 5.17

22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.06 BZD 6.13

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$3.68 BZD 7.36

-58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.51 BZD 5.03

-5.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.45 BZD 6.91

-48.70%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.65 BZD 7.30

-20.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.54 BZD 13.08

55.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.80 BZD 19.61

0.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.11 BZD 18.22

53.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.70 BZD 5.39

47.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.85 BZD 3.70

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.70 BZD 5.40

-19.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.01 BZD 6.02

-27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$4.06 BZD 8.12

-51.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.76 BZD 5.52

-42.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.27 BZD 4.55

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.58 BZD 3.16

-21.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.52 BZD 9.05

-12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.93 BZD 19.87

37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.38 BZD 4.76

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.02 BZD 4.04

11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$4.03 BZD 8.06

-70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.92 BZD 9.85

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.49 BZD 4.98

-45.78%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$10.7K BZD 21.4K

218.40%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$376 BZD 753

-54.93%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$50.3 BZD 101

-73.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$27.00 BZD 54.0

3.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.75 BZD 49.51

76.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$2.45 BZD 4.89

601.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.07 BZD 10.15

36.29%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$65.5 BZD 131

1115.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$684 BZD 1,369

1231.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$32.81 BZD 65.6

158.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$24.95 BZD 49.90

132.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$37.57 BZD 75.2

259.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$37.85 BZD 75.7

158.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$344 BZD 687

251.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$193 BZD 386

232.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$563 BZD 1,127

259.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$321 BZD 641

215.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$849 BZD 1,698

-22.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.5

-4.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belize City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Belize City

$193 15.6% 69.9% $448

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Belize City

$318 25.8% 7.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Belize City

$454 36.7% 115% $242

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Belize City

$155 12.5% 8.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Belize City

$60 4.9% 64.5% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Belize City

$21 * 1.7% 77.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Belize City

$35 2.8% 39.3% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $344 in Belize City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belize City pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $50 in Belize City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $318 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇿 Belize City

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,999

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BZD (1 BZD = 0.448 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Belize City 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Belize City

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 Belize City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belize City wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Belize City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $344 in Belize City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,236 in Belize City – Belize City is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Belize City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.