Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Den Helder

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,005 in Den Helder, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Den Helder
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Den Helder Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Den Helder

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Den Helder

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,005 in Den Helder, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Den Helder $2,005

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,061 in Den Helder, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Den Helder $3,061

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,117 in Den Helder, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Den Helder $4,117

Medellin is about 18% cheaper than Den Helder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Den Helder sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Den Helder by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$19.39 €17.37

-58.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$53.9 €48.34

-12.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.25 €7.39

15.15%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.72 €3.33

-19.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.98 €2.67

-39.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$3.02 €2.70

-53.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$5.01 €4.49

-36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.88 €4.38

17.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.11 €0.99

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.24 €1.11

91.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.82 €0.73

115.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$4.20 €3.76

-31.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.10 €9.05

0.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$14.50 €12.99

-31.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$15.85 €14.20

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.60 €2.33

52.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.96 €1.76

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.22 €1.09

78.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$4.19 €3.76

-47.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.40 €1.26

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.01 €0.90

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.03 €0.93

11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.70 €0.62

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$13.59 €12.17

-70.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$7.22 €6.47

89.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.32 €1.18

25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.63 €2.36

-14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$9.43 €8.45

-87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$154 €138

-49.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$3.83 €3.43

-66.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$3.10 €2.78

-33.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$36.21 €32.45

-76.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$2.47 €2.22

-45.34%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$41.1K €36.8K

-17.08%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$39.0K €35.0K

-11.11%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$201 €180

-15.76%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$15.19 €13.61

-10.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$20.22 €18.11

38.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$23.99 €21.50

82.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$19.17 €17.18

-10.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$14.70 €13.17

-52.99%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$2,878 €2,579

-72.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$13.0K €11.6K

-29.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$116 €104

-27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$46.63 €41.79

24.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$119 €106

13.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$136 €122

-27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$883 €791

36.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$744 €666

-13.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,792 €1,606

13.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,347 €1,207

-24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,912 €2,610

43.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,429 €2,177

-72.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.8

290.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Den Helder: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Den Helder

$744 37.1% 15.9% $102

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Den Helder

$289 14.4% 2.5% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Den Helder

$237 11.8% 12.1% $26

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Den Helder

$283 14.1% 67% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Den Helder

$188 9.4% 11% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Den Helder

$211 10.5% 125% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Den Helder

$53 2.7% 7.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $883 in Den Helder. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Den Helder are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $54 in Den Helder. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $289 in Den Helder – so Den Helder wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇱 Den Helder

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

11:23 11:23 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

56,296

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Den Helder 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Den Helder

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 Den Helder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Den Helder is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,007 in Den Helder. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Den Helder, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $883 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $54 in Den Helder. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,005 in Den Helder. That makes Medellin about 18% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,005 in Den Helder, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,005 in Den Helder. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Den Helder makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.