Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Drammen

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,736 in Drammen, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Drammen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,736 in Drammen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Drammen $2,736

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,119 in Drammen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Drammen $4,119

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,503 in Drammen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Drammen $5,503

Medellin is about 40% cheaper than Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Drammen sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Drammen by 101%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$21.43 NOK 199

-62.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$126 NOK 1,175

-62.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.08 NOK 103

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.34 NOK 49.58

-43.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$4.10 NOK 38.12

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.04 NOK 19.00

-30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$11.76 NOK 109

-72.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.96 NOK 64.7

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.63 NOK 24.41

-42.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$4.37 NOK 40.63

-45.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.90 NOK 45.48

-63.88%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.85 NOK 45.04

-40.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.17 NOK 132

-28.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$15.76 NOK 146

-37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$31.63 NOK 294

-55.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.37 NOK 31.33

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.79 NOK 25.89

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.58 NOK 33.28

-39.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.85 NOK 54.4

-62.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.74 NOK 25.50

-28.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.95 NOK 27.38

-46.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.11 NOK 28.94

-63.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.52 NOK 23.40

-50.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$17.36 NOK 161

-77.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$16.22 NOK 151

-15.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.63 NOK 33.74

-54.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.35 NOK 40.44

-48.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$3.48 NOK 32.33

-66.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$97.1 NOK 902

-20.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$12.27 NOK 114

-89.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.91 NOK 17.73

7.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$72.4 NOK 673

-88.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.34 NOK 21.73

-42.31%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$46.7K NOK 434.2K

-27.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$45.3K NOK 420.4K

-23.38%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$273 NOK 2,532

-37.76%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$34.51 NOK 321

-60.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$54.6 NOK 507

-48.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$82.2 NOK 763

-46.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$18.13 NOK 168

-61.89%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$241 NOK 2,238

230.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$16.2K NOK 150.5K

-43.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$101 NOK 940

-16.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$62.3 NOK 578

-6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$135 NOK 1,254

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$153 NOK 1,419

-35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,363 NOK 12.7K

-11.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,036 NOK 9,620

-38.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,106 NOK 19.6K

-3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,591 NOK 14.8K

-36.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$10.8K NOK 100.5K

-61.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$6,542 NOK 60.8K

-70.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,742 NOK 34.8K

-82.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.54

140.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Drammen

$1K 37.9% 61.4% $394

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Drammen

$518 19% 74.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Drammen

$362 13.2% 71.2% $150

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Drammen

$366 13.4% 116% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Drammen

$203 7.4% 20.1% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Drammen

$133 4.9% 41.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Drammen

$118 4.3% 106% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,363 in Drammen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Drammen are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $126 in Drammen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $518 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

104,625

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Drammen 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Drammen

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,736 in Drammen – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,104 in Drammen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,363 in Drammen.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $241 in Drammen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Drammen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Drammen at $2,736. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Drammen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,736 in Drammen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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