Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Budapest: $1,639 and $1,638 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Budapest $3,467

Medellin and Budapest have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.81 Ft 4,520

-41.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$61.5 Ft 20.1K

-23.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.16 Ft 3,325

-6.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.22 Ft 1,054

-6.52%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.06 Ft 675

-12.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.83 Ft 601

-22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.60 Ft 1,180

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.66 Ft 1,199

57.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.19 Ft 390

26.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.87 Ft 612

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.37 Ft 775

-25.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.96 Ft 1,296

-27.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.16 Ft 3,655

-8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.76 Ft 2,212

46.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.35 Ft 4,698

-2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.81 Ft 592

119.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.11 Ft 690

-26.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.33 Ft 764

-6.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.80 Ft 1,245

-42.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.99 Ft 325

97.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.98 Ft 322

62.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.55 Ft 508

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.70 Ft 228

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$7.79 Ft 2,551

-49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.05 Ft 1,981

126.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.28 Ft 418

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.04 Ft 667

10.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.55 Ft 507

-24.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$27.28 Ft 8,932

183.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.30 Ft 1,080

-61.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.31 Ft 430

56.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.26 Ft 6,631

-57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.82 Ft 596

-25.82%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.7K Ft 9.4M

18.61%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.1K Ft 10.8M

4.81%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$172 Ft 56.4K

-1.47%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$23.95 Ft 7,841

-43.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$23.31 Ft 7,631

20.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$68.6 Ft 22.5K

-36.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$18.91 Ft 6,191

-9.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.18 Ft 3,332

-32.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$600 Ft 196.5K

32.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$99.0 Ft 32.4K

-14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

34.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$113 Ft 36.9K

19.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$117 Ft 38.4K

-16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$836 Ft 273.7K

44.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$640 Ft 209.4K

0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,598 Ft 523.2K

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,205 Ft 394.5K

-16.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,625 Ft 1.8M

-25.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,802 Ft 1.2M

-49.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,671 Ft 547.2K

-60.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.45

69.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 0.3% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 13% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 3.9% $8.2

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 30% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 53.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 54.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $836 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Budapest 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,638 in Budapest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.