Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Derry, Ireland

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,515 in Derry, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Derry

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Derry

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,515 in Derry.

Medellin $1,639
Derry $2,515

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,028 in Derry.

Medellin $2,413
Derry $3,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,541 in Derry.

Medellin $3,186
Derry $3,541

Living in Medellin costs roughly 35% less than in Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Derry 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$20.72 €18.61

-60.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$52.6 €47.28

-10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.12 €8.19

4.17%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.50 €4.05

-33.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.67 €1.50

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.61 €1.44

-12.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.28 €4.74

-39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.62 €5.95

-13.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.54 €1.39

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.48 €1.33

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.01 €1.81

-11.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.45 €3.10

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.14 €11.80

-22.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.96 €8.94

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.20 €11.86

5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.96 €2.66

34.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.56 €1.40

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.15 €2.83

-30.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.04 €3.63

-46.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.05 €0.95

86.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.36 €1.22

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.04 €0.94

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.84 €1.65

-32.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$20.70 €18.60

-80.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.27 €9.23

33.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.31 €2.08

-28.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.57 €2.31

-12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.51 €2.26

-53.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.26 €4.72

-75.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.44 €1.29

42.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$56.8 €51.0

-84.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.08 €1.86

-35.10%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$38.3K €34.4K

-11.13%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$38.3K €34.4K

-9.48%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$244 €219

-30.52%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$21.20 €19.04

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$50.4 €45.28

-44.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$34.99 €31.43

24.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$25.97 €23.33

-33.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.98 €11.66

-46.76%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,180 €1,060

-32.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,539 €4,976

64.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$101 €90.9

-16.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$47.33 €42.52

22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$97.5 €87.6

38.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$72.2 €64.9

35.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,599 €1,437

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,365 €1,226

-53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,344 €1,208

50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,103 €991

-8.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,303 €2,069

81.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,403 €3,057

-43.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,650 €2,381

-75.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.68

197.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Derry

$1.4K 54.3% 113% $723

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Derry

$307 12.2% 3.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Derry

$316 12.6% 49.5% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Derry

$300 11.9% 76.8% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Derry

$143 5.7% 15.2% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Derry

$22 * 0.9% 76% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Derry

$61 2.4% 5.9% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,599 in Derry. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Derry pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $53 in Derry for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇪 Derry

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

85,016

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Derry 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Derry

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 Derry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,599 in Derry. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Derry. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,515 in Derry – Medellin is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,515 in Derry, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Derry. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Derry, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Derry on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.