Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Durham, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,423 in Durham, NC.

Medellin $1,639
Durham, NC $2,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,700 in Durham, NC.

Medellin $2,413
Durham, NC $3,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,978 in Durham, NC.

Medellin $3,186
Durham, NC $4,978

Living in Medellin costs roughly 32% less than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Durham, NC 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.31 $15.31

-47.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$106 $106

-55.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.96 $9.96

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.79 $4.79

-37.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.02 $3.02

-40.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.10 $2.10

-32.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$6.18 $6.18

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.12 $7.12

-19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.13 $1.13

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$4.70 $4.70

-49.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$4.52 $4.52

-60.84%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.45 $3.45

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$19.01 $19.01

-46.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$16.98 $16.98

-41.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$17.05 $17.05

-17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.67 $5.67

-29.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.83 $1.83

-15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.90 $3.90

-44.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.58 $4.58

-52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.27 $2.27

-13.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.90 $3.90

-59.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.75 $2.75

-58.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.96 $1.96

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$8.57 $8.57

-53.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$15.23 $15.23

-10.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.52 $1.52

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$4.01 $4.01

-43.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.96 $1.96

-35.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.60 $0.60

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.01 $1.01

33.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.9K $30.9K

10.24%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.0K $26.0K

33.12%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$226 $226

-24.99%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$56.8 $56.8

-76.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$71.5 $71.5

-60.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$51.5 $51.5

-15.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.36 $12.36

-44.09%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,567 $1,567

-49.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$45.29 $45.29

87.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$35.33 $35.33

64.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$90.7 $90.7

48.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$134 $134

-26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,502 $1,502

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,118 $1,118

-42.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,272 $2,272

-10.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,970 $1,970

-48.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,463 $3,463

20.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,420 $2,420

-21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,786 $4,786

-86.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.81

60.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2% 74.3% $476

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Durham, NC

$456 18.8% 53.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Durham, NC

$355 14.6% 67.8% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Durham, NC

$276 11.4% 62.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Durham, NC

$137 5.7% 18.8% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2% 94.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Durham, NC

$76 3.2% 32.5% $19

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 $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 7.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $106 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $456 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

283,506

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Durham, NC 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 86% 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 $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Durham, NC. 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 $2,423 in Durham, NC – Medellin is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Durham, NC, 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, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.