Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and College Park, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,340 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
College Park, MD, United States
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
College Park, MD
🇺🇸 United States
$3,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in College Park, MD

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 College Park, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,340 in College Park, MD, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • College Park, MD $3,340

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,574 in College Park, MD, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • College Park, MD $4,574

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,807 in College Park, MD, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • College Park, MD $5,807

Medellin is about 51% cheaper than College Park, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and College Park, MD sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, College Park, MD by 145%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$15.75 $15.75
-48.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$71.4 $71.4
-34.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$9.81 $9.81
-3.16%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$4.41 $4.41
-31.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$2.69 $2.69
-33.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$1.74 $1.74
-18.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$6.31 $6.31
-49.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$5.97 $5.97
-3.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$0.84 $0.84
79.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.50 $2.50
-4.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$5.42 $5.42
-67.34%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$2.08 $2.08
38.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$6.38 $6.38
59.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$6.49 $6.49
52.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$19.86 $19.86
-29.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$6.40 $6.40
-37.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.27 $1.27
22.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$7.43 $7.43
-70.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$5.50 $5.50
-60.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$4.90 $4.90
-60.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$3.37 $3.37
-52.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$0.99 $0.99
16.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$3.12 $3.12
-60.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$9.66 $9.66
-59.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$12.01 $12.01
13.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$1.75 $1.75
-5.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$3.67 $3.67
-38.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$3.06 $3.06
-61.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$4.07 $4.07
-68.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.97 $1.97
4.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$24.59 $24.59
-65.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$0.98 $0.98
37.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$29.8K $29.8K
14.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$26.2K $26.2K
32.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$240 $240
-29.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$50.3 $50.3
-73.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$68.6 $68.6
-59.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$39.41 $39.41
10.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$14.93 $14.93
-53.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$2,016 $2,016
-60.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$47.66 $47.66
77.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$32.48 $32.48
78.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$117 $117
15.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$136 $136
-27.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$2,304 $2,304
-47.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$2,093 $2,093
-69.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$3,930 $3,930
-48.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$3,113 $3,113
-67.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
College Park, MD
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$6,262 $6,262
-89.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.23
75.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for College Park, MD: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
College Park, MD
$2.1K 226% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
College Park, MD
$374 26.1% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
College Park, MD
$359 69.7% $147
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
College Park, MD
$270 58.9% $100
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
College Park, MD
$150 11.4% $19
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
College Park, MD
$26 * 72% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
College Park, MD
$69 20.4% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,304 in College Park, MD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in College Park, MD are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $71 in College Park, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $374 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇺🇸 College Park, MD
🕒 Local time
21:27 9:27 PM
22:27 10:27 PM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
34,740
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin College Park, MD 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • College Park, MD

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 College Park, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in College Park, MD compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $3,340 in College Park, MD – Medellin comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to College Park, MD?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $5,011 in College Park, MD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and College Park, MD?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,304 in College Park, MD.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or College Park, MD?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $3,340 in College Park, MD. That makes Medellin about 51% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and College Park, MD?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $2,016 in College Park, MD. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in College Park, MD at $3,340. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Medellin or College Park, MD?
Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Medellin and College Park, MD?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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