Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Braintree

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,195 in Braintree, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Braintree, United Kingdom
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Braintree
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,195
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Braintree

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,195 in Braintree, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Braintree $2,195

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,258 in Braintree, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Braintree $3,258

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,321 in Braintree, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Braintree $4,321

Medellin is about 25% cheaper than Braintree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Braintree sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Braintree by 61%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$19.58 £14.69
-58.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$93.5 £70.1
-49.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$10.45 £7.84
-9.09%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$4.78 £3.58
-37.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$1.82 £1.36
-1.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$1.16 £0.87
21.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$6.51 £4.88
-51.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$6.07 £4.56
-5.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.44 £1.08
4.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$1.39 £1.04
71.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.62 £1.22
9.26%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$3.14 £2.36
-7.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$8.72 £6.54
16.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$7.76 £5.82
27.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$12.71 £9.53
10.07%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$3.17 £2.38
25.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.41 £1.06
9.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$2.51 £1.88
-13.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$2.85 £2.14
-23.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$1.65 £1.24
18.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$1.42 £1.06
11.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.25 £0.94
-8.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.41 £1.06
-12.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$23.26 £17.46
-82.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$9.34 £7.01
46.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$2.68 £2.01
-38.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$2.47 £1.85
-8.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$3.61 £2.71
-67.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$96.3 £72.2
-19.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$4.96 £3.72
-74.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.35 £1.02
51.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$21.38 £16.04
-60.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$2.06 £1.55
-34.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$38.9K £29.2K
-12.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$40.4K £30.3K
-14.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$249 £187
-31.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$14.32 £10.75
-5.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$40.27 £30.21
-30.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$46.11 £34.60
-5.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$20.92 £15.70
-66.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$1,080 £811
-26.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$20.0K £15.0K
-54.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$70.8 £53.1
19.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$31.00 £23.26
86.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$78.4 £58.8
72.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$50.6 £37.99
93.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,247 £936
-3.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$1,009 £757
-36.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$2,145 £1,609
-5.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,654 £1,241
-38.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$5,080 £3,812
-17.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,911 £2,934
-51.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Braintree
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.67
134.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Braintree: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Braintree
$1K 57.3% $368
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Braintree
$266 10.5% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Braintree
$304 43.8% $93
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Braintree
$302 78% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Braintree
$104 38.5% $65
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Braintree
$122 30.9% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Braintree
$88 52.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,247 in Braintree. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $93 in Braintree. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $266 in Braintree – so Braintree wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇧 Braintree
🕒 Local time
20:55 8:55 PM
01:55 1:55 AM
5 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
151,677
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Braintree 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Braintree

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 Braintree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Braintree compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,195 in Braintree – Medellin comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Braintree?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,293 in Braintree. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Braintree?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,247 in Braintree. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Braintree – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $93 in Braintree. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,500 go in Medellin compared to Braintree?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,195 in Braintree, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Medellin or Braintree?
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.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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