Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elblag

For one person, living is cheaper in Elblag: $1,457 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Elblag
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Elblag Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Elblag

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Elblag

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,457 in Elblag.

Medellin $1,639
Elblag $1,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,110 in Elblag.

Medellin $2,413
Elblag $2,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,762 in Elblag.

Medellin $3,186
Elblag $2,762

Living in Medellin is roughly 13% more expensive than in Elblag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Elblag 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.10 zł 47.82

-33.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.08 zł 107

73.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.47 zł 29.52

27.18%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.53 zł 13.94

-14.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.17 zł 8.58

-17.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.64 zł 6.50

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.13 zł 12.38

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.76 zł 14.85

52.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.99 zł 3.93

52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.62 zł 6.40

46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.91 zł 3.60

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.70 zł 14.63

-21.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.91 zł 35.22

14.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.94 zł 27.43

42.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.75 zł 46.47

19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.36 zł 5.36

191.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.73 zł 6.83

-10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.60 zł 6.34

36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.20 zł 12.63

-31.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.75 zł 2.95

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.32 zł 5.20

20.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.15 zł 4.56

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.53 zł 2.11

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.21 zł 16.63

-5.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.50 zł 25.69

110.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.53 zł 2.08

213.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.35 zł 5.34

67.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.01 zł 3.98

15.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$24.69 zł 97.6

213.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.10 zł 8.30

-39.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.78 zł 3.10

162.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.19 zł 40.29

-16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.53 zł 6.06

-11.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.8K zł 121.9K

10.51%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.3K zł 100.1K

36.86%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$283 zł 1,120

-40.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$8.14 zł 32.19

66.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$13.81 zł 54.6

103.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$42.10 zł 166

3.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.62 zł 85.5

-20.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.47 zł 21.60

26.33%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$323 zł 1,278

146.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,952 zł 7,715

366.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$80.7 zł 319

5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.60 zł 145

58.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$87.3 zł 345

54.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$98.4 zł 389

-0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$604 zł 2,388

99.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$513 zł 2,028

25.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$992 zł 3,923

104.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$896 zł 3,540

12.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,130 zł 8,420

95.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,224 zł 8,791

-14.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,295 zł 5,118

-49.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.89

58.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elblag: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Elblag

$513 35.2% 20% $129

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Elblag

$215 14.8% 27.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Elblag

$305 20.9% 44.5% $94

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Elblag

$200 13.7% 17.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Elblag

$136 9.4% 19.3% $33

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Elblag

$35 2.4% 62.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Elblag

$53 3.6% 7.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $604 in Elblag. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elblag pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Elblag for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $215 per month, with Elblag cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇱 Elblag

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

02:46 2:46 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

122,899

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Elblag 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Elblag

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 Elblag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elblag is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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 $604 in Elblag. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Elblag – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Expats usually find Elblag gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.