Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Birmingham, AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,627 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham, AL Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Birmingham, AL

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,627 in Birmingham, AL, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Birmingham, AL $2,627

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,899 in Birmingham, AL, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Birmingham, AL $3,899

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,172 in Birmingham, AL, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Birmingham, AL $5,172

Medellin is about 38% cheaper than Birmingham, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Birmingham, AL sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Birmingham, AL by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$17.75 $17.75

-54.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$69.7 $69.7

-32.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.86 $8.86

7.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$5.67 $5.67

-46.91%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.65 $2.65

-32.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$2.28 $2.28

-38.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$5.12 $5.12

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.92 $5.92

-2.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.08 $1.08

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.09 $3.09

-22.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$4.82 $4.82

-63.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$4.24 $4.24

-31.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$9.30 $9.30

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$11.16 $11.16

-11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$16.46 $16.46

-15.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$6.42 $6.42

-38.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.38 $1.38

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$7.88 $7.88

-72.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$5.57 $5.57

-60.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$4.16 $4.16

-52.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$5.39 $5.39

-70.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.86 $2.86

-59.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$2.79 $2.79

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$8.55 $8.55

-53.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$15.06 $15.06

-9.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.42 $2.42

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.51 $3.51

-35.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.53 $1.53

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$78.9 $78.9

-1.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.95 $2.95

-56.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.55 $1.55

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$30.20 $30.20

-71.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.92 $0.92

46.74%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$26.6K $26.6K

28.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$25.7K $25.7K

34.77%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$274 $274

-38.19%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$75.7 $75.7

-82.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$72.2 $72.2

-61.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$54.3 $54.3

-19.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$20.24 $20.24

-15.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$16.04 $16.04

-56.92%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,324 $1,324

-39.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$17.8K $17.8K

-48.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$59.5 $59.5

42.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$38.91 $38.91

48.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$109 $109

23.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$136 $136

-27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,582 $1,582

-23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,146 $1,146

-44.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,560 $2,560

-20.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,017 $2,017

-49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,665 $2,665

56.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,820 $1,820

4.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,246 $3,246

-79.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.69

63.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Birmingham, AL

$1.1K 43.6% 78.6% $504

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Birmingham, AL

$428 16.3% 44.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Birmingham, AL

$422 16.1% 99.9% $211

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Birmingham, AL

$294 11.2% 73.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Birmingham, AL

$155 5.9% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Birmingham, AL

$96 3.6% 2.3% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Birmingham, AL

$86 3.3% 50.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,582 in Birmingham, AL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Birmingham, AL are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $70 in Birmingham, AL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $428 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

200,733

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Birmingham, AL 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Birmingham, AL

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 Birmingham, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,627 in Birmingham, AL – Medellin comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,940 in Birmingham, AL. 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 $1,582 in Birmingham, AL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,627 in Birmingham, AL. That makes Medellin about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $1,324 in Birmingham, AL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Birmingham, AL at $2,627. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham, AL 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 $2,627 in Birmingham, AL. 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, Birmingham, AL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.