Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bydgoszcz

For one person, living is cheaper in Bydgoszcz: $1,461 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Bydgoszcz
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,461
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bydgoszcz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,461 in Bydgoszcz.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Bydgoszcz $1,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $2,221 in Bydgoszcz.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Bydgoszcz $2,221

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,981 in Bydgoszcz.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Bydgoszcz $2,981

Living in Medellin is roughly 11% more expensive than in Bydgoszcz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Bydgoszcz 8% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$12.16 zł 47.25
-31.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$63.0 zł 245
-25.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$7.78 zł 30.21
18.77%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$3.42 zł 13.29
-10.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$2.10 zł 8.17
-14.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$1.70 zł 6.61
-18.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$3.87 zł 15.02
-16.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$3.67 zł 14.25
51.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.04 zł 4.06
44.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$1.68 zł 6.54
41.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$0.97 zł 3.77
75.26%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$3.86 zł 14.98
-23.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$9.19 zł 35.72
11.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$6.94 zł 26.95
40.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$11.97 zł 46.52
16.12%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$1.36 zł 5.30
203.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$1.69 zł 6.56
-9.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$1.54 zł 6.00
44.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$3.17 zł 12.30
-28.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$0.93 zł 3.62
113.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$1.32 zł 5.12
26.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.13 zł 4.38
4.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.66 zł 2.57
87.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$5.67 zł 22.02
-31.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$8.13 zł 31.59
69.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$1.07 zł 4.16
55.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$1.43 zł 5.55
67.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$0.95 zł 3.71
30.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$27.75 zł 108
181.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$2.14 zł 8.30
-40.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$0.78 zł 3.04
175.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$10.08 zł 39.18
-16.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$1.55 zł 6.03
-12.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$30.7K zł 119.2K
13.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$29.7K zł 115.2K
16.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$282 zł 1,095
-40.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$7.93 zł 30.83
71.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$18.87 zł 73.3
54.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$39.69 zł 154
13.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$16.79 zł 65.2
2.32%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$7.71 zł 29.97
-9.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$329 zł 1,278
140.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$5,120 zł 19.9K
76.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$82.1 zł 319
6.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$36.18 zł 141
60.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$89.4 zł 347
55.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$101 zł 392
-2.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$678 zł 2,633
51.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$491 zł 1,907
26.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$1,116 zł 4,336
68.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$896 zł 3,481
12.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$2,864 zł 11.1K
39.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$2,164 zł 8,409
-21.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Bydgoszcz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$1,497 zł 5,817
-55.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.89
58.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bydgoszcz: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Bydgoszcz
$491 20.8% $129
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Bydgoszcz
$226 24.1% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Bydgoszcz
$309 47.4% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Bydgoszcz
$139 19.6% $34
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Bydgoszcz
$204 19.2% $33
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Bydgoszcz
$38 60.5% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Bydgoszcz
$55 6.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $678 in Bydgoszcz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bydgoszcz pays 126% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $63.0 in Bydgoszcz. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $226, with Bydgoszcz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz
🕒 Local time
06:40 6:40 AM
13:40 1:40 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
359,428
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Bydgoszcz 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Bydgoszcz

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 Bydgoszcz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Bydgoszcz?
Bydgoszcz wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bydgoszcz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Medellin or in Bydgoszcz?
On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Bydgoszcz. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Bydgoszcz?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $678 in Bydgoszcz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Bydgoszcz?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $329 in Bydgoszcz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Bydgoszcz?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Bydgoszcz?
At $1,461 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bydgoszcz but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bydgoszcz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Medellin or Bydgoszcz?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bydgoszcz delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bydgoszcz hard to pass up.
How safe is Medellin compared to Bydgoszcz?
Safety-wise, Medellin and Bydgoszcz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bydgoszcz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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