Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
Learn more

Durham Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Durham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,073 in Durham.

Medellin $1,589
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $3,286 in Durham.

Medellin $2,364
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $4,498 in Durham.

Medellin $3,139
Durham $4,498

Living in Medellin costs roughly 23% less than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$19.57 £14.79

-59.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$93.4 £70.6

-50.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$11.40 £8.61

-17.28%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.56 £3.44

-36.18%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.54 £1.92

-31.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.04 £1.54

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$6.08 £4.59

-48.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$5.33 £4.03

4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.95 £1.47

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.54 £1.17

58.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$3.03 £2.29

-46.20%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$4.37 £3.30

-35.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$10.02 £7.57

-3.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$8.86 £6.69

5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$21.35 £16.13

-36.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.93 £2.21

36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.53 £1.91

-41.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.75 £2.08

-22.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$5.08 £3.84

-55.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.56 £1.18

22.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.70 £1.29

-4.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.06 £0.80

8.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.88 £1.42

-32.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$23.61 £17.84

-83.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$10.64 £8.04

23.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$3.31 £2.50

-51.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$3.15 £2.38

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$3.23 £2.44

-63.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$86.9 £65.7

-13.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$6.39 £4.83

-80.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$1.93 £1.46

6.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$23.68 £17.89

-65.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.88 £1.42

-32.45%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$37.8K £28.6K

-29.25%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$41.1K £31.1K

-16.30%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$265 £200

-38.68%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$15.21 £11.49

-13.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$42.95 £32.45

-34.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$46.78 £35.35

-5.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$12.51 £9.45

-51.32%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$1,300 £982

-41.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$25.2K £19.1K

-64.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$106 £80.3

-20.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$71.4 £53.9

-19.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$114 £86.1

15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$97.2 £73.5

-1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,539 £1,163

-33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$743 £562

-18.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$2,661 £2,011

-32.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,565 £1,183

-36.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$5,034 £3,804

-22.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$3,862 £2,919

-57.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,064 £1,559

-69.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.18

111.20%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Durham

$743 35.7% 23% $139

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Durham

$348 16.7% 20.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Durham

$323 15.5% 58.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Durham

$175 8.4% 5.1% $8.5

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Durham

$305 14.6% 83.2% $138

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Durham

$116 5.6% 27.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Durham

$72 3.5% 27.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 230% 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 $93.0 in Durham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $348 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

42,100

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Durham 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Durham

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Durham differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $2,073 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 230% lower in Durham. 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 $1,539 in Durham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $2,073 in Durham – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 16% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,073 in Durham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Durham. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Durham 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 30% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.