Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bismarck, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bismarck, ND

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,355 in Bismarck, ND.

Medellin $1,692
Bismarck, ND $2,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,453 in Bismarck, ND.

Medellin $2,471
Bismarck, ND $3,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,551 in Bismarck, ND.

Medellin $3,249
Bismarck, ND $4,551

Living in Medellin costs roughly 28% less than in Bismarck, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Bismarck, ND 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$29.75 $29.75

-71.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$69.5 $69.5

-33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$17.29 $17.29

-45.23%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$6.16 $6.16

-49.19%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.60 $2.60

-31.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.80 $1.80

-21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$5.45 $5.45

-42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$6.95 $6.95

-17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.00 $1.00

53.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.59 $2.59

-11.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$2.13 $2.13

-8.92%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.68 $2.68

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.87 $7.87

26.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$12.98 $12.98

-19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$16.16 $16.16

-13.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.48 $3.48

16.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.72 $1.72

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.11 $3.11

-32.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$4.40 $4.40

-47.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.90 $1.90

11.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$2.64 $2.64

-35.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$2.20 $2.20

-46.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$2.80 $2.80

-43.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$8.63 $8.63

-54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$20.29 $20.29

-30.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.82 $1.82

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.93 $3.93

-31.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.53 $1.53

-22.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$35.49 $35.49

114.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.92 $0.92

39.13%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$27.1K $27.1K

26.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$22.6K $22.6K

51.35%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$207 $207

-14.23%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$73.9 $73.9

-81.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$83.7 $83.7

-63.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$33.94 $33.94

23.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$12.06 $12.06

-38.06%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$809 $809

-2.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$9,125 $9,125

34.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$66.3 $66.3

30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$95.3 $95.3

45.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$79.6 $79.6

24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,010 $1,010

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$995 $995

-32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,526 $1,526

29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,631 $1,631

-36.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,440 $2,440

67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,971 $1,971

-1.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$4,378 $4,378

-85.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.84

59.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bismarck, ND: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bismarck, ND

$995 42.2% 49.1% $328

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5% 18.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5% 64.1% $142

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bismarck, ND

$423 17.9% 145% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.6% 37% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bismarck, ND

$42 * 1.8% 55.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bismarck, ND

$58 2.5% 2.1% $1.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,010 in Bismarck, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $70 in Bismarck, ND for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $365 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

58,333

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bismarck, ND 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, so Medellin is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,010 in Bismarck, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bismarck, ND. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $70 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Bismarck, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.