Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bethlehem, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
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Bethlehem, PA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bethlehem, PA

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Bethlehem, PA $2,613

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,666 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Bethlehem, PA $3,666

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,718 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bethlehem, PA $4,718

Medellin is about 37% cheaper than Bethlehem, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Bethlehem, PA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Bethlehem, PA by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$18.20 $18.20

-55.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$49.94 $49.94

-5.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$13.05 $13.05

-27.20%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$5.05 $5.05

-40.40%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.89 $1.89

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.21 $5.21

-38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$8.23 $8.23

-30.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.12 $1.12

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$4.06 $4.06

-41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$3.92 $3.92

-54.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$4.28 $4.28

-32.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.02 $12.02

-15.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$16.27 $16.27

-39.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$18.33 $18.33

-23.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$6.14 $6.14

-35.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.32 $1.32

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$4.22 $4.22

-48.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$4.16 $4.16

-47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$2.15 $2.15

-8.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$2.62 $2.62

-39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$2.69 $2.69

-57.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$1.89 $1.89

-34.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.78 $9.78

-59.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$17.99 $17.99

-23.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.72 $1.72

-3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$6.82 $6.82

-66.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$5.04 $5.04

-74.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$2.96 $2.96

-30.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$34.65 $34.65

-75.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.98 $0.98

37.76%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$23.2K $23.2K

46.93%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$24.0K $24.0K

44.61%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$207 $207

-18.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$39.06 $39.06

-65.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$79.1 $79.1

-64.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$36.66 $36.66

19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$14.83 $14.83

-53.41%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$985 $985

-19.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$64.4K $64.4K

-85.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$54.0 $54.0

56.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$30.28 $30.28

91.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$65.8 $65.8

105.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$84.9 $84.9

15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,573 $1,573

-23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,352 $1,352

-52.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,184 $2,184

-7.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,079 $2,079

-51.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,187 $2,187

90.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,119 $2,119

-9.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,649 $3,649

-81.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.5

68.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bethlehem, PA

$1.4K 51.7% 111% $710

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.7% 47% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bethlehem, PA

$326 12.5% 54.1% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bethlehem, PA

$307 11.8% 81.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bethlehem, PA

$106 4.1% 37.4% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8% 78.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bethlehem, PA

$66 2.5% 15.3% $8.8

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 $1,573 in Bethlehem, PA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bethlehem, PA are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $50 in Bethlehem, PA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $437 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

75,624

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Bethlehem, PA 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Bethlehem, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA – Medellin comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,919 in Bethlehem, PA. 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 $1,573 in Bethlehem, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $50 in Bethlehem, PA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Bethlehem, PA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Bethlehem, PA at $2,613. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA. 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, Bethlehem, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.