Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Budva

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Budva: $1,614 and $1,611 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Budva

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,611 in Budva, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Budva $1,611

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,529 in Budva, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Budva $2,529

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,447 in Budva, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Budva $3,447

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

Both Medellin and Budva sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Budva by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$14.76 €13.13

-46.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$66.5 €59.1

-30.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$13.27 €11.80

-28.41%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.39 €3.02

-8.26%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.21 €1.96

-17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.52 €1.35

-9.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$4.69 €4.17

-34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.27 €3.80

28.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.25 €1.11

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.06 €0.95

122.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.21 €1.97

-23.98%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.07 €2.73

-6.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.50 €7.56

19.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.08 €8.08

4.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.17 €10.83

15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.28 €1.14

217.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.75 €1.56

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.52 €1.35

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.78 €2.47

-16.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.85 €0.76

127.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.07 €0.95

53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.67 €1.48

-32.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.94 €0.84

32.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.42 €3.93

-9.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.67 €6.82

74.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.06 €0.94

60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.74 €1.55

36.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.84 €2.53

-57.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$39.74 €35.34

92.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.11 €0.98

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.09 €0.97

96.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$16.85 €14.99

-49.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.70 €1.51

-23.53%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$28.5K €25.4K

-1.85%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$25.8K €22.9K

37.36%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$158 €140

9.10%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.92 €13.27

-10.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$33.61 €29.90

-14.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$57.1 €50.8

-20.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$21.24 €18.89

-19.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.19 €5.50

1.45%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$407 €362

89.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$9,855 €8,766

-8.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$105 €93.3

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$44.04 €39.17

29.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$96.8 €86.1

40.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$178 €159

-45.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$846 €752

24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$606 €539

1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,499 €1,333

26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,149 €1,022

-10.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,046 €3,599

0.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,920 €2,597

-42.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,028 €915

-36.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.95

83.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Budva

$606 37.6% 1.6% $9.6

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Budva

$235 14.6% 20.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Budva

$206 12.8% 3.7% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Budva

$191 11.9% 12.2% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Budva

$246 15.2% 45.8% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Budva

$58 3.6% 38.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Budva

$69 4.3% 20.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $846 in Budva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Budva. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $66.0 in Budva. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $235 in Budva – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,338

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Budva 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Budva

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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,417 in Budva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $407 in Budva. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Budva, where all-in costs run around $1,611, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Budva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,611 in Budva to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.