Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Diest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Diest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,088 in Diest.

Medellin $1,692
Diest $2,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,070 in Diest.

Medellin $2,471
Diest $3,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,052 in Diest.

Medellin $3,249
Diest $4,052

Living in Medellin costs roughly 19% less than in Diest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Diest 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$21.93 €19.52

-61.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$85.0 €75.7

-45.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$11.89 €10.58

-20.35%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.54 €3.15

-11.58%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$2.94 €2.62

-39.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$2.80 €2.49

-49.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$5.38 €4.79

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.35 €3.87

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.26 €1.12

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.73 €2.43

-16.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.25 €2.00

-13.78%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$3.93 €3.50

-21.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$15.20 €13.53

-34.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.87 €10.57

-11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$18.91 €16.84

-26.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.78 €2.48

45.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.25 €2.00

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.61 €2.32

-19.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$2.93 €2.61

-21.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.18 €1.94

-3.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.72 €1.53

-0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.52 €1.36

-23.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.02 €0.91

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$13.13 €11.69

-70.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$8.44 €7.52

66.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.95 €1.74

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.05 €1.82

32.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$3.07 €2.74

-61.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$54.4 €48.45

40.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$5.69 €5.06

-68.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$2.47 €2.20

-13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$30.18 €26.87

-73.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$2.07 €1.84

-38.16%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$36.0K €32.1K

-4.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$36.1K €32.1K

-5.34%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$209 €186

-14.78%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$20.59 €18.33

-32.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$51.4 €45.75

-40.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$36.60 €32.59

14.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$19.94 €17.75

-15.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$14.29 €12.72

-47.73%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$781 €695

1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$19.3K €17.2K

-36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$103 €91.9

-16.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$48.33 €43.03

22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$106 €94.8

30.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$147 €131

-32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$938 €836

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$825 €735

-19.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,367 €1,217

44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,168 €1,040

-11.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,180 €3,722

-1.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,949 €2,626

-34.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,138 €1,904

-69.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.53

209.92%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Diest

$825 39.5% 23.7% $158

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Diest

$338 16.2% 9.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Diest

$281 13.4% 26.2% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Diest

$312 15% 80.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Diest

$182 8.7% 5.8% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Diest

$85 4.1% 9.4% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Diest

$65 3.1% 14.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $938 in Diest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest 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 $85 in Diest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $338 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇪 Diest

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,516

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Diest 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Diest

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 Diest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Diest. 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 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $938 in Diest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Diest runs roughly 29% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $781 in Diest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Diest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.