Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $707 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
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Big Bend Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Big Bend

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $707 in Big Bend, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Big Bend $707

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,392 in Big Bend, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Big Bend $1,392

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,076 in Big Bend, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Big Bend $2,076

Medellin costs about 139% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Big Bend is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.95 SZL 65.8

111.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$26.97 SZL 449

72.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.93 SZL 82.1

92.09%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.47 SZL 24.54

112.93%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.70 SZL 11.64

152.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.44 SZL 7.29

222.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.48 SZL 24.69

112.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.54 SZL 25.68

270.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.22 SZL 20.24

25.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.86 SZL 14.33

166.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.58 SZL 26.30

22.78%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$4.62 SZL 76.9

-33.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$18.22 SZL 303

-45.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$12.19 SZL 203

-14.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$4.74 SZL 79.0

194.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.22 SZL 70.3

-4.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.57 SZL 9.54

168.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.82 SZL 30.23

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.17 SZL 19.50

95.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.45 SZL 40.71

-13.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$2.14 SZL 35.66

-20.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.92 SZL 15.25

27.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.89 SZL 14.74

77.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.71 SZL 95.1

-31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$3.63 SZL 60.5

286.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$0.59 SZL 9.80

198.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$0.93 SZL 15.41

191.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.22 SZL 20.40

-3.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$23.66 SZL 394

222.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.82 SZL 30.29

-0.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.47 SZL 24.40

44.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$3.51 SZL 58.4

131.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.11 SZL 18.40

15.32%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$12.0K SZL 200.3K

186.32%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$18.2K SZL 303.5K

87.25%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$127 SZL 2,122

39.43%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$24.33 SZL 405

-42.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$23.83 SZL 397

29.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$17.76 SZL 296

136.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$2.38 SZL 39.55

605.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.99 SZL 49.86

149.83%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$35.69 SZL 594

141.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$23.82 SZL 397

148.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$35.60 SZL 593

288.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$54.8 SZL 912

80.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$109 SZL 1,817

1129.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$72.5 SZL 1,208

819.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,068 SZL 17.8K

84.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$708 SZL 11.8K

45.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$198 SZL 3,302

1966.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$143 SZL 2,388

1252.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$798 SZL 13.3K

-18.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Big Bend: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Big Bend

$73 10.3% 89.1% $595

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Big Bend

$251 35.5% 18.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Big Bend

$176 24.8% 21% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Big Bend

$79 11.2% 54.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Big Bend

$67 9.5% 60.8% $105

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Big Bend

$38 5.3% 59.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Big Bend

$24 3.4% 58.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $109 in Big Bend. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Big Bend, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $27 in Big Bend. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $251 – making Big Bend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,433

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 SZL (100 SZL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.62 SZL (100 SZL = 5.37 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Big Bend 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Big Bend

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 Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $707 in Big Bend – Big Bend comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,061 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Big Bend, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Big Bend. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Big Bend, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Big Bend it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 $707 in Big Bend to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Big Bend is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 58% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.