Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bellinzona

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bellinzona

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Bellinzona $3,572

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $5,491 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Bellinzona $5,491

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $7,411 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bellinzona $7,411

Medellin is about 54% cheaper than Bellinzona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Bellinzona sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Bellinzona by 162%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$34.79 CHF 28.70

-76.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$119 CHF 98.3

-60.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$18.24 CHF 15.04

-47.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-37.29%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$5.28 CHF 4.36

-65.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$4.47 CHF 3.69

-68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$9.61 CHF 7.93

-66.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.73 CHF 5.55

-14.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.11 CHF 3.39

-56.93%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$7.86 CHF 6.48

-63.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$26.65 CHF 21.98

-61.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$30.79 CHF 25.39

-67.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$41.82 CHF 34.50

-66.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.71 CHF 3.06

7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.03 CHF 1.68

-23.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.82 CHF 2.33

-22.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$6.48 CHF 5.34

-66.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-27.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-4.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-63.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$18.12 CHF 14.95

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-57.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$122 CHF 101

-36.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$7.40 CHF 6.11

-82.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$5.48 CHF 4.52

-62.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$36.65 CHF 30.23

-76.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-40.27%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-13.35%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-11.67%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$308 CHF 254

-44.92%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$36.80 CHF 30.36

-63.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$62.6 CHF 51.6

-55.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$146 CHF 120

-70.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$54.1 CHF 44.63

-68.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$23.86 CHF 19.68

-71.04%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$3,258 CHF 2,687

-75.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

-74.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$198 CHF 163

-57.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$48.72 CHF 40.19

18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$163 CHF 134

-17.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$172 CHF 142

-43.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,574 CHF 1,299

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,411 CHF 1,164

-54.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,491 CHF 2,055

-18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,504 CHF 2,066

-59.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$13.8K CHF 11.4K

-69.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$10.3K CHF 8,532

-81.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$6,707 CHF 5,533

-90.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.23

390.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39.5% 120% $769

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bellinzona

$639 17.9% 115% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bellinzona

$407 11.4% 92.8% $196

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bellinzona

$491 13.8% 190% $322

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bellinzona

$262 7.3% 54.9% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bellinzona

$168 4.7% 79.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bellinzona

$194 5.4% 236% $136

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,574 in Bellinzona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bellinzona are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $119 in Bellinzona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $639 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,785

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bellinzona 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bellinzona

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 Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $3,572 in Bellinzona – Medellin comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $5,357 in Bellinzona. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,574 in Bellinzona.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $3,572 in Bellinzona. That makes Medellin about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Bellinzona at $3,572. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellinzona 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.

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