Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,783 in Dessau, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Dessau despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dessau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,783 in Dessau.

Medellin $1,639
Dessau $1,783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,867 in Dessau.

Medellin $2,413
Dessau $2,867

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,951 in Dessau.

Medellin $3,186
Dessau $3,951

Living in Medellin costs roughly 8% less than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Dessau 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.48 €14.77

-50.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$84.5 €75.7

-44.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$15.40 €13.80

-38.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.41 €3.95

-31.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.80 €2.51

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$4.27 €3.82

-66.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.90 €4.39

-35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.43 €4.87

5.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.34 €1.20

12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.05 €1.84

16.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.85 €3.45

-54.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.62 €3.25

-20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.23 €9.17

-0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$11.72 €10.50

-15.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$21.39 €19.16

-34.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.31 €2.97

19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.05 €1.84

-24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.13 €1.91

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.60 €3.23

-39.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.26 €1.13

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.11 €0.99

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.68 €1.51

-31.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.21 €1.09

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.54 €8.55

-58.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.53 €5.85

109.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.08 €0.97

53.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.67 €1.50

35.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.59 €2.32

-54.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$65.3 €58.5

18.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.01 €4.49

-74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.49 €2.23

-17.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$33.16 €29.72

-74.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.94 €1.74

-30.41%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$32.9K €29.5K

3.48%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.4K €35.3K

-12.01%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$279 €250

-39.13%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$25.46 €22.81

-46.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$51.1 €45.76

-45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$68.5 €61.4

-36.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$22.08 €19.79

-22.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.09 €10.84

-42.85%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$308 €276

158.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$74.3 €66.5

14.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$46.22 €41.42

25.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$134 €120

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$171 €153

-42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$443 €397

172.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$434 €389

47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$733 €657

176.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$981 €879

3.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,354 €3,006

24.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,755 €1,573

8.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,184 €1,957

-69.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.95

176.96%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Dessau

$434 24.4% 32.3% $207

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Dessau

$322 18% 8.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Dessau

$355 19.9% 68.1% $144

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Dessau

$295 16.5% 73.6% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Dessau

$191 10.7% 13.3% $22

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 61.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $443 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dessau pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $84 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $322 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

68,116

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Dessau 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dessau

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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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 $443 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Dessau. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $84 in Dessau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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