Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,575 in Cham.

Medellin $1,639
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $5,453 in Cham.

Medellin $2,413
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $7,331 in Cham.

Medellin $3,186
Cham $7,331

Living in Medellin costs roughly 54% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$29.74 CHF 24.67

-72.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$122 CHF 101

-61.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$17.93 CHF 14.87

-47.02%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.82 CHF 4.83

-48.28%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$5.32 CHF 4.42

-66.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$4.87 CHF 4.04

-71.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$8.45 CHF 7.01

-62.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.53 CHF 5.42

-11.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.76 CHF 3.12

-36.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-51.10%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$7.27 CHF 6.03

-60.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$26.38 CHF 21.88

-61.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$28.65 CHF 23.77

-65.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$42.06 CHF 34.89

-66.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.91 CHF 3.25

1.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-27.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-29.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-51.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.11 CHF 0.92

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.02 CHF 9.15

-64.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.08 CHF 10.02

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.82 CHF 2.34

-41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.10 CHF 2.58

-27.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$5.13 CHF 4.26

-77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$146 CHF 121

-47.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.44 CHF 3.69

-71.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.96 CHF 2.45

-30.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$59.7 CHF 49.49

-85.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-38.36%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-14.14%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-13.13%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$286 CHF 237

-40.68%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.15 CHF 24.18

-53.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$54.8 CHF 45.49

-48.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$40.01 CHF 33.19

-57.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$22.10 CHF 18.34

-68.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,488 CHF 1,234

-46.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

-63.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$137 CHF 114

-38.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$54.0 CHF 44.76

7.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$157 CHF 130

-14.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$249 CHF 206

-60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,780 CHF 1,477

-32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,566 CHF 1,299

-59.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,896 CHF 2,402

-29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,704 CHF 2,243

-62.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

-67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$11.7K CHF 9,730

-83.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.03

438.92%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 144% $925

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cham

$597 16.7% 101% $300

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cham

$370 10.4% 75.1% $159

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cham

$458 12.8% 170% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cham

$268 7.5% 58.9% $100

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cham

$186 5.2% 98.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cham

$129 3.6% 125% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $597 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

15:02 3:02 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,060

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cham 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $5,362 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $1,488 in Cham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,575 in Cham, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.