Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Duisburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,033 in Duisburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Duisburg
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Duisburg Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Duisburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Duisburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,033 in Duisburg.

Medellin $1,625
Duisburg $2,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $3,004 in Duisburg.

Medellin $2,412
Duisburg $3,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $3,974 in Duisburg.

Medellin $3,199
Duisburg $3,974

Living in Medellin costs roughly 20% less than in Duisburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Duisburg 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$13.28 €11.81

-37.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$72.6 €64.6

-35.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$12.88 €11.45

-28.26%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.37 €3.89

-30.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$3.88 €3.45

-53.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$3.13 €2.78

-55.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$5.47 €4.87

-40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.58 €4.96

-0.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.36 €1.21

10.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.13 €1.89

11.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$3.76 €3.35

-54.79%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.46 €3.07

-14.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$14.16 €12.60

-27.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$10.79 €9.60

-9.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$25.49 €22.67

-45.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.34 €2.97

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.24 €2.00

-31.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.38 €2.12

-6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.27 €3.80

-46.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.49 €1.32

33.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.21 €1.08

38.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.73 €1.54

-31.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.04 €0.93

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$10.53 €9.37

-63.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.80 €6.05

102.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.11 €0.99

49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.39 €1.24

72.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$4.52 €4.02

-72.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$67.7 €60.2

15.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.91 €4.37

-73.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.30 €2.05

-6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$34.21 €30.43

-75.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.18 €1.94

-38.07%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$33.2K €29.5K

4.66%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$38.5K €34.2K

-9.82%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$454 €404

-63.29%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$25.59 €22.76

-46.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$41.63 €37.03

-30.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$31.61 €28.11

42.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$28.94 €25.74

-40.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$13.64 €12.14

-48.90%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$168 €149

371.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$25.9K €23.1K

-65.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$98.1 €87.2

-10.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$47.63 €42.37

22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$114 €101

22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$199 €177

-50.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$690 €614

48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$535 €476

15.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,398 €1,244

34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$908 €808

10.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$6,730 €5,986

-40.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,363 €2,991

-49.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$2,793 €2,484

-76.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.96

176.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Duisburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Duisburg

$535 26.3% 13.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Duisburg

$346 17% 16.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Duisburg

$521 25.6% 149% $312

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Duisburg

$206 10.1% 19.4% $33

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Duisburg

$264 13% 54.5% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Duisburg

$102 5% 7.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Duisburg

$59 2.9% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $690 in Duisburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Duisburg pays 321% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $73.0 in Duisburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $346 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇪 Duisburg

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

486,855

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Duisburg 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Duisburg

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 Duisburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Duisburg. 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 321% lower in Duisburg. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $690 in Duisburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $168 in Duisburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Duisburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,033 in Duisburg, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Duisburg. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Duisburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Duisburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.