Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dayton, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,214 in Dayton, OH, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dayton, OH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH.

Medellin $1,625
Dayton, OH $2,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $3,280 in Dayton, OH.

Medellin $2,412
Dayton, OH $3,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $4,345 in Dayton, OH.

Medellin $3,199
Dayton, OH $4,345

Living in Medellin costs roughly 27% less than in Dayton, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Dayton, OH 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$14.47 $14.47

-42.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$71.1 $71.1

-34.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.90 $9.90

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.25 $4.25

-28.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.24 $2.24

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.86 $1.86

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$4.62 $4.62

-29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.93 $5.93

-6.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.79 $0.79

89.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.72 $2.72

-12.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$3.77 $3.77

-54.91%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.61 $3.61

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.32 $13.32

-23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$24.28 $24.28

-59.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$17.25 $17.25

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.87 $5.87

-29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.94 $1.94

-21.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$7.23 $7.23

-69.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$5.23 $5.23

-56.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.70 $2.70

-26.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$3.16 $3.16

-47.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.21 $2.21

-46.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.78 $2.78

-55.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$9.68 $9.68

-60.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$19.70 $19.70

-30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.76 $1.76

-5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.56 $3.56

-32.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$4.02 $4.02

-69.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$49.33 $49.33

58.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$5.07 $5.07

-74.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.81 $1.81

18.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$50.9 $50.9

-83.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.03 $1.03

31.07%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.5K $27.5K

26.27%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$26.8K $26.8K

29.54%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$205 $205

-18.56%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$50.2 $50.2

-72.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$59.1 $59.1

-50.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$32.95 $32.95

36.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$45.30 $45.30

-62.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$14.14 $14.14

-50.71%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$529 $529

49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,520 $6,520

38.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$39.13 $39.13

124.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$47.07 $47.07

23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$70.4 $70.4

97.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$122 $122

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,194 $1,194

-13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$901 $901

-31.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,597 $1,597

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,398 $1,398

-27.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,451 $1,451

17.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$3,416 $3,416

-80.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.74

62.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dayton, OH: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Dayton, OH

$901 40.7% 45.4% $281

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Dayton, OH

$486 21.9% 63.1% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Dayton, OH

$314 14.2% 49.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Dayton, OH

$126 5.7% 27.3% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Dayton, OH

$248 11.2% 45.1% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Dayton, OH

$80 3.6% 16.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8% 3.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $1,194 in Dayton, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays 415% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $71.0 in Dayton, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $486 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

156,771

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Dayton, OH 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Dayton, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Dayton, OH. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 415% lower in Dayton, OH. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,194 in Dayton, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 59% less than in Dayton, OH. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Dayton, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Dayton, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.