Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Denver

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,433 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Denver

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,433 in Denver, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Denver $2,433

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,666 in Denver, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Denver $3,666

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,899 in Denver, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Denver $4,899

Medellin is about 33% cheaper than Denver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Denver sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Denver by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.29 A$21.83

-47.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$82.3 A$117

-42.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.81 A$15.44

-12.12%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$3.62 A$5.17

-16.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.76 A$3.93

-34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$2.45 A$3.50

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$8.34 A$11.91

-61.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.17 A$10.24

-19.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.63 A$2.33

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$2.71 A$3.88

-12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$2.51 A$3.58

-29.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$5.38 A$7.68

-46.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.54 A$12.20

19.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.64 A$12.33

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.43 A$20.61

-3.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.31 A$4.73

19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$2.93 A$4.19

-47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$2.80 A$4.00

-22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$5.21 A$7.44

-58.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$2.52 A$3.60

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$2.22 A$3.17

-28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$2.48 A$3.55

-53.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$1.75 A$2.49

-29.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$46.36 A$66.2

-91.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.82 A$18.31

6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$4.68 A$6.68

-64.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$5.25 A$7.49

-56.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$2.94 A$4.20

-60.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$78.2 A$112

-1.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$3.16 A$4.51

-59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.41 A$2.02

45.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$43.23 A$61.7

-80.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.28 A$1.82

5.47%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$27.1K A$38.7K

25.72%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$24.8K A$35.4K

39.89%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$198 A$283

-14.28%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$25.50 A$36.42

-46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$52.3 A$74.7

-46.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$51.9 A$74.0

-15.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$19.82 A$28.30

-13.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.49 A$22.12

-55.39%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,868 A$2,668

-57.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$23.2K A$33.2K

-60.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$84.9 A$121

-0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$60.4 A$86.3

-4.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$119 A$170

13.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$112 A$159

-12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,312 A$1,874

-7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,169 A$1,669

-45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,082 A$2,974

-2.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,058 A$2,938

-50.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$6,557 A$9,364

-36.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,330 A$6,184

-55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.9

85.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Denver: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Denver

$1.2K 48% 82.2% $527

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Denver

$361 14.8% 21.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Denver

$276 11.3% 30.5% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Denver

$275 11.3% 62.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Denver

$169 7% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Denver

$100 4.1% 7.1% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Denver

$83 3.4% 44% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,312 in Denver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $82 in Denver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $361 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Denver

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

21:24 9:24 PM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

149

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Denver 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Denver

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 Denver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,433 in Denver – Medellin comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,649 in Denver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,312 in Denver. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $82 in Denver. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Denver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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.