Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elverum

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,723 in Elverum, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Elverum
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,723
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Elverum

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,723 in Elverum, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Elverum $2,723

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $4,090 in Elverum, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Elverum $4,090

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $5,458 in Elverum, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Elverum $5,458

Medellin is about 41% cheaper than Elverum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Elverum sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Elverum by 102%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$20.48 NOK 193
-61.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$107 NOK 1,006
-56.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$15.68 NOK 148
-39.41%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$5.41 NOK 50.9
-42.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$5.67 NOK 53.4
-67.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$4.17 NOK 39.25
-66.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$12.89 NOK 121
-76.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$12.64 NOK 119
-56.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$2.42 NOK 22.82
-40.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$3.32 NOK 31.26
-28.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$3.59 NOK 33.82
-53.20%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$4.93 NOK 46.44
-41.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$12.77 NOK 120
-20.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$15.99 NOK 151
-40.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$31.88 NOK 300
-55.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$3.82 NOK 35.99
6.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$2.92 NOK 27.49
-48.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$3.79 NOK 35.64
-42.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$5.67 NOK 53.4
-59.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$2.87 NOK 27.03
-32.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$2.97 NOK 27.98
-44.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$2.92 NOK 27.53
-61.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$2.26 NOK 21.28
-44.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$17.65 NOK 166
-77.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$18.04 NOK 170
-26.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$3.62 NOK 34.09
-53.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$4.55 NOK 42.84
-47.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
$4.77 NOK 44.86
-74.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
$83.8 NOK 789
-8.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$9.22 NOK 86.8
-85.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$1.54 NOK 14.54
38.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$59.5 NOK 560
-85.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$2.50 NOK 23.52
-48.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$45.4K NOK 427.5K
-38.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$45.3K NOK 426.8K
-21.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$276 NOK 2,597
-37.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$35.45 NOK 334
-62.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$82.8 NOK 779
-65.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$49.56 NOK 467
-8.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
$35.60 NOK 335
-52.13%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$20.53 NOK 193
-69.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$295 NOK 2,773
161.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$4,368 NOK 41.1K
106.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$104 NOK 982
-17.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$49.80 NOK 469
14.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$117 NOK 1,101
16.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$155 NOK 1,462
-36.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$1,177 NOK 11.1K
-10.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$1,019 NOK 9,595
-39.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$1,940 NOK 18.3K
-2.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$1,650 NOK 15.5K
-38.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$6,117 NOK 57.6K
-33.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$4,052 NOK 38.1K
-58.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Elverum
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$4,212 NOK 39.7K
-84.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.32
105.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elverum: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Elverum
$1K 65.5% $403
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Elverum
$502 70.5% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Elverum
$394 84% $180
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Elverum
$192 12.8% $22
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Elverum
$405 140% $236
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Elverum
$120 28.4% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Elverum
$91 56.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,177 in Elverum. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 546% higher in Elverum, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $107 in Elverum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $502 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇳🇴 Elverum
🕒 Local time
12:40 12:40 PM
19:40 7:40 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
21,775
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Elverum 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Elverum

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 Elverum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elverum cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Elverum is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $4,084 in Elverum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $295 in Elverum. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Elverum?
Groceries cost about 70% more in Elverum, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Elverum?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Elverum at $2,723. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elverum it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Elverum more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Elverum?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elverum makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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