Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Charleroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,019 in Charleroi, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Charleroi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,019 in Charleroi.

Medellin $1,614
Charleroi $2,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,917 in Charleroi.

Medellin $2,402
Charleroi $2,917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,815 in Charleroi.

Medellin $3,190
Charleroi $3,815

Living in Medellin costs roughly 20% less than in Charleroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Charleroi 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$22.39 €19.99

-64.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.9K

$82.0 €73.2

-43.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$13.52 €12.07

-29.73%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,908

$3.03 €2.71

2.64%

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

$1.83 COP 5,824

$2.14 €1.91

-14.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,378

$2.18 €1.94

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,712

$3.23 €2.88

-5.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.91 €3.49

40.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,619

$1.14 €1.01

27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,527

$2.53 €2.26

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,351

$2.15 €1.91

-21.86%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,115

$3.59 €3.20

-20.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$17.52 €15.63

-41.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$12.09 €10.79

-21.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$21.70 €19.37

-35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.61 €2.33

55.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,762

$2.31 €2.06

-35.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,920

$2.65 €2.36

-18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,340

$3.39 €3.03

-31.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,139

$2.14 €1.91

-9.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,218

$1.10 €0.98

49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$1.31 €1.17

-13.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$0.72 €0.64

73.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$12.67 €11.31

-68.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$8.81 €7.86

51.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,406

$1.66 €1.48

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,557

$1.97 €1.75

20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,843

$2.85 €2.54

-57.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.5K

$40.92 €36.52

86.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,197

$5.66 €5.05

-76.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,802

$2.76 €2.46

-22.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$43.80 €39.09

-80.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,132

$1.84 €1.64

-29.35%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$29.7K €26.5K

-5.78%

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

$35.4K COP 112.8M

$32.8K €29.3K

8.03%

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

$172 COP 547.9K

$208 €185

-17.12%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$21.74 €19.40

-38.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.5K

$47.26 €42.18

-39.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.1K

$32.19 €28.73

40.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$28.18 €25.15

-39.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$15.02 €13.40

-58.19%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$1,628 €1,453

-52.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$16.5K €14.7K

-45.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.1K

$109 €97.0

-20.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.9K

$52.3 €46.64

9.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.7K

$88.1 €78.6

54.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.7K

$88.4 €78.9

10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$798 €712

32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$815 €727

-24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,031 €920

83.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,043 €931

-1.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,863 €2,555

41.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,916 €2,603

-42.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,306 €2,058

-71.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Charleroi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Charleroi

$815 40.4% 32.4% $199

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Charleroi

$344 17.1% 16.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Charleroi

$277 13.7% 29.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Charleroi

$152 7.5% 10.7% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Charleroi

$297 14.7% 76.6% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Charleroi

$72 3.6% 23.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Charleroi

$62 3.1% 7.6% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $798 in Charleroi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleroi pays 254% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $82.0 in Charleroi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $344 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

04:15 4:15 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

202,730

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,184 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,563 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Charleroi 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Charleroi

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 Charleroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Charleroi differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $2,019 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 254% lower in Charleroi. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $798 in Charleroi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 87% less than in Charleroi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $1,628 in Charleroi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,019 in Charleroi, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Charleroi. 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 25% less than in Charleroi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.