Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chalcis

For one person, living is cheaper in Chalcis: $1,425 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Chalcis
Learn more

Chalcis Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Chalcis

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chalcis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,425 in Chalcis.

Medellin $1,692
Chalcis $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,178 in Chalcis.

Medellin $2,471
Chalcis $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,931 in Chalcis.

Medellin $3,249
Chalcis $2,931

Living in Medellin is roughly 19% more expensive than in Chalcis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Chalcis 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$11.26 €10.05

-25.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$45.65 €40.72

1.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.89 €7.93

6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.59 €3.20

-12.81%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$2.23 €1.99

-20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.59 €0.53

140.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.42 €3.05

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.58 €4.09

24.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.53 €1.36

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.38 €1.23

65.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$2.21 €1.97

-12.22%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$4.29 €3.82

-28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$12.33 €10.99

-18.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$9.99 €8.91

4.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$16.05 €14.32

-13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.98 €1.76

104.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$2.02 €1.80

-24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.67 €1.49

25.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$2.11 €1.88

8.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.15 €1.03

83.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.16 €1.03

47.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.86 €0.77

36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.82 €0.73

92.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.67 €4.17

-16.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$7.39 €6.59

89.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.79 €1.60

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$3.37 €3.00

-19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.36 €1.21

-13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$4.37 €3.90

-58.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.04 €0.92

104.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$22.51 €20.08

-63.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$2.08 €1.86

-38.46%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$28.2K €25.1K

22.23%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$23.7K €21.1K

43.98%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$169 €151

5.25%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$25.58 €22.82

-45.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$27.62 €24.63

11.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$67.1 €59.8

-37.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.71 €8.66

-23.07%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$281 €251

180.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$4,191 €3,739

193.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$83.2 €74.2

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$39.54 €35.27

49.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$81.8 €73.0

69.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$110 €98.2

-10.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$597 €533

124.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$483 €431

38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,042 €929

89.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$883 €787

17.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,421 €2,159

69.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,984 €1,770

-2.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,029 €917

-37.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.38

149.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chalcis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Chalcis

$483 33.9% 27.5% $184

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Chalcis

$279 19.6% 9.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Chalcis

$222 15.6% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Chalcis

$197 13.9% 14.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Chalcis

$142 9.9% 17.8% $31

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Chalcis

$15 * 1.1% 84% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Chalcis

$87 6.1% 52% $30

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $597 in Chalcis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chalcis pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $46 in Chalcis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $279 per month, with Chalcis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇷 Chalcis

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

05:35 5:35 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

59,125

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Chalcis 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chalcis

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 Chalcis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chalcis is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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 $597 in Chalcis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $281 in Chalcis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.