Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,989 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
Learn more

Buchs Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,989 in Buchs.

Medellin $1,639
Buchs $2,989

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $4,496 in Buchs.

Medellin $2,413
Buchs $4,496

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $6,004 in Buchs.

Medellin $3,186
Buchs $6,004

Living in Medellin costs roughly 45% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Buchs 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$23.29 CHF 19.21

-65.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$84.9 CHF 70.0

-44.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$15.31 CHF 12.63

-37.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.64 CHF 3.83

-35.13%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$3.76 CHF 3.10

-52.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-58.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.16 CHF 5.08

-48.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$5.59 CHF 4.61

2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.91 CHF 1.58

-20.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.63 CHF 3.00

-34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.46 CHF 3.68

-60.31%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$7.15 CHF 5.90

-59.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$31.14 CHF 25.69

-67.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$18.17 CHF 14.99

-45.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$32.99 CHF 27.21

-57.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.60 CHF 2.97

10.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$6.42 CHF 5.30

-66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.86 CHF 1.53

5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-34.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-51.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.16 CHF 0.96

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.85 CHF 8.95

-63.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$12.25 CHF 10.11

11.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.51 CHF 2.90

-35.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-77.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-72.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-30.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$61.0 CHF 50.3

-85.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-39.73%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

-13.01%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-12.03%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$179 CHF 148

-5.45%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$28.58 CHF 23.58

-52.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$66.0 CHF 54.4

-57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$14.89 CHF 12.29

-53.59%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$598 CHF 493

33.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$20.7K CHF 17.1K

-56.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$107 CHF 88.5

-21.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$24.35 CHF 20.08

138.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$94.9 CHF 78.3

42.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$172 CHF 142

-42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,796 CHF 1,481

-32.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,567 CHF 1,292

-59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,747 CHF 2,266

-26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,732 CHF 2,254

-62.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$8,580 CHF 7,077

-92.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.93

466.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Buchs

$1.6K 52.4% 144% $925

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Buchs

$541 18.1% 82% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Buchs

$274 9.2% 29.7% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Buchs

$358 12% 111% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Buchs

$179 6% 6% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Buchs

$40 * 1.4% 57% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 48.2% $28

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $1,796 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $85 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $541 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,187

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Buchs 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,989 in Buchs, so Medellin is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,796 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $598 in Buchs. 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 $85 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,989 in Buchs, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Buchs. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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