Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Castro Valley, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Castro Valley, CA
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Castro Valley, CA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Castro Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Castro Valley, CA

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 Castro Valley, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA.

Medellin $1,692
Castro Valley, CA $3,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $4,290 in Castro Valley, CA.

Medellin $2,471
Castro Valley, CA $4,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $5,138 in Castro Valley, CA.

Medellin $3,249
Castro Valley, CA $5,138

Living in Medellin costs roughly 51% less than in Castro Valley, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Castro Valley, CA 155% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$21.86 $21.86

-61.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$79.0 $79.0

-41.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$12.15 $12.15

-22.06%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$5.75 $5.75

-45.57%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$3.03 $3.03

-41.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$2.78 $2.78

-48.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$5.85 $5.85

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$7.52 $7.52

-24.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.48 $1.48

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$4.64 $4.64

-50.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$5.98 $5.98

-67.56%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$6.05 $6.05

-49.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$15.14 $15.14

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$13.39 $13.39

-21.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$22.24 $22.24

-37.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.44 $5.44

-25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$2.59 $2.59

-40.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$4.40 $4.40

-52.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$4.64 $4.64

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$3.73 $3.73

-43.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$4.68 $4.68

-63.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$2.54 $2.54

-53.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.97 $0.97

62.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$11.88 $11.88

-67.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$17.19 $17.19

-18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.77 $1.77

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.74 $2.74

-1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$3.19 $3.19

-63.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$65.9 $65.9

15.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$3.52 $3.52

-48.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.90 $1.90

12.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$40.34 $40.34

-79.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.58 $1.58

-18.99%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$27.6K $27.6K

24.94%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.2K $26.2K

30.51%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$179 $179

-0.57%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$62.4 $62.4

-77.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$60.9 $60.9

-49.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$39.72 $39.72

5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$14.98 $14.98

-50.13%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$2,567 $2,567

-69.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$20.5K $20.5K

-39.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$39.88 $39.88

116.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$35.44 $35.44

67.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$77.8 $77.8

77.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$49.66 $49.66

98.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$2,263 $2,263

-40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$2,076 $2,076

-67.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,524 $2,524

-21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,062 $2,062

-49.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,843 $2,843

44.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,380 $2,380

-18.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$5,649 $5,649

-88.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.58

66.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castro Valley, CA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Castro Valley, CA

$2.1K 60.3% 211% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Castro Valley, CA

$463 13.5% 50.6% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Castro Valley, CA

$302 8.8% 35.8% $80

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Castro Valley, CA

$348 10.1% 102% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Castro Valley, CA

$91 2.7% 47% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Castro Valley, CA

$92 2.7% 1.9% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Castro Valley, CA

$70 2% 22.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $2,263 in Castro Valley, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castro Valley, CA pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $79 in Castro Valley, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $463 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Castro Valley, CA

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

61,388

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Castro Valley, CA 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Castro Valley, CA

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 Castro Valley, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA, so Medellin is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $2,263 in Castro Valley, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $2,567 in Castro Valley, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Castro Valley, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Castro Valley, CA. 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, Castro Valley, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.