Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Birmingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,505 in Birmingham, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
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Birmingham Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Birmingham

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,505 in Birmingham, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Birmingham $2,505

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,602 in Birmingham, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Birmingham $3,602

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,700 in Birmingham, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Birmingham $4,700

Medellin is about 35% cheaper than Birmingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Birmingham sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Birmingham by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$19.89 £14.86

-59.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$93.4 £69.8

-49.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.24 £6.91

2.81%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.04 £3.76

-40.28%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.75 £2.06

-34.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.97 £1.47

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.19 £5.37

-55.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.56 £4.90

-12.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.92 £1.43

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.98 £1.48

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.60 £1.94

-31.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.93 £2.93

-26.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.83 £6.60

15.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.80 £6.58

12.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.04 £11.24

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.56 £1.91

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.80 £1.34

-13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.72 £2.03

-19.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.88 £2.90

-43.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.79 £1.33

9.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.72 £1.28

-7.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.44 £1.07

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.59 £1.19

-22.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$22.11 £16.52

-82.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.08 £9.02

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$3.74 £2.80

-55.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.58 £2.68

-36.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$4.06 £3.03

-71.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$94.7 £70.7

-18.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.10 £3.81

-75.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.35 £1.76

-12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$23.97 £17.91

-64.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.10 £1.57

-35.71%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$38.7K £28.9K

-11.94%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$40.6K £30.4K

-14.69%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$319 £239

-46.89%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$21.51 £16.07

-37.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$49.25 £36.80

-43.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$33.63 £25.13

29.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$30.44 £22.74

-43.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$16.02 £11.97

-56.87%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,657 £1,238

-51.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$24.1K £18.0K

-62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$106 £78.8

-19.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$49.90 £37.28

16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$120 £89.7

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$151 £113

-35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,401 £1,047

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,096 £819

-41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,034 £1,519

-0.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,609 £1,202

-37.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,064 £3,783

-17.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,238 £3,166

-54.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,441 £3,317

-85.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.09

114.93%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8% 70.8% $454

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Birmingham

$318 12.7% 7.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Birmingham

$390 15.6% 84.7% $179

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Birmingham

$315 12.6% 85.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Birmingham

$192 7.7% 13.5% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Birmingham

$128 5.1% 36.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Birmingham

$66 2.6% 14.2% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,401 in Birmingham. 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 are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $93 in Birmingham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $318 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,036,878

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Birmingham 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Birmingham

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,505 in Birmingham – Medellin comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,757 in Birmingham. 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 $1,401 in Birmingham.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $1,657 in Birmingham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Birmingham, 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 Birmingham at $2,505. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham 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, Birmingham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.