Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Boras

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,888 in Boras, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Boras
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Boras Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Boras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Boras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,888 in Boras.

Medellin $1,639
Boras $1,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,215 in Boras.

Medellin $2,413
Boras $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,542 in Boras.

Medellin $3,186
Boras $2,542

Living in Medellin costs roughly 13% less than in Boras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Boras 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.97 SEK 129

-37.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$92.1 SEK 915

-48.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.21 SEK 101

-6.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.20 SEK 41.68

-28.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.13 SEK 21.16

-15.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.03 SEK 20.14

-30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$6.84 SEK 67.9

-53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$7.24 SEK 71.9

-20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.62 SEK 16.12

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.57 SEK 25.50

-7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.10 SEK 30.77

-42.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.45 SEK 44.18

-35.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.48 SEK 124

-18.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$11.34 SEK 113

-12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$15.54 SEK 154

-9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.10 SEK 30.74

28.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.62 SEK 26.05

-40.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.83 SEK 28.12

-22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.61 SEK 35.85

-39.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.53 SEK 15.23

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.36 SEK 13.51

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.24 SEK 22.22

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.33 SEK 13.22

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.82 SEK 67.7

-41.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.09 SEK 80.3

69.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.74 SEK 17.32

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.58 SEK 15.74

43.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-66.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$77.2 SEK 767

0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.89 SEK 48.56

-74.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.12 SEK 11.14

83.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$41.83 SEK 415

-79.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.73 SEK 17.20

-21.97%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.8K SEK 246.4K

37.32%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$15.2K SEK 151.0K

128.01%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.1 SEK 587

187.10%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.27 SEK 291

-53.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$40.09 SEK 398

-29.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$35.54 SEK 353

22.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$25.42 SEK 252

-32.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$14.79 SEK 147

-53.28%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$160 SEK 1,590

397.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$49.67 SEK 493

70.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$49.25 SEK 489

17.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$81.6 SEK 811

65.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$102 SEK 1,016

-4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$881 SEK 8,750

-27.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,473 SEK 24.6K

-73.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.8

127.92%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Boras: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Boras

$881 46.7% 37.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Boras

$334 17.7% 12.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Boras

$128 6.8% 39.2% $83

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Boras

$250 13.3% 47.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Boras

$127 6.7% 24.7% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Boras

$102 5.4% 8.9% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Boras

$65 3.5% 13.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

Boras pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $92 in Boras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $334 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Boras

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

66,273

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Boras 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Boras

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 Boras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $160 in Boras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $92 in Boras. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Boras on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.