Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Exeter, United Kingdom
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Exeter
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,571
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,571 in Exeter.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,846 in Exeter.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,121 in Exeter.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Exeter $5,121

Living in Medellin costs roughly 36% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Exeter 89% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$19.92 £14.88
-59.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$97.8 £73.1
-51.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$9.57 £7.15
-0.73%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$4.96 £3.70
-39.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$3.17 £2.36
-43.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$2.51 £1.87
-43.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$7.45 £5.57
-57.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$6.16 £4.60
-6.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.52 £1.14
-0.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$1.68 £1.25
41.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$1.78 £1.33
-0.56%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$4.30 £3.21
-32.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$8.70 £6.50
17.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$8.71 £6.51
13.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$23.73 £17.72
-41.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$3.12 £2.33
27.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.43 £1.06
8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$2.32 £1.73
-6.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$3.19 £2.38
-31.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$2.27 £1.70
-13.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.97 £1.47
-19.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$1.61 £1.20
-28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$1.95 £1.45
-36.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$23.49 £17.54
-83.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$9.54 £7.12
43.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$3.74 £2.79
-55.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$4.42 £3.30
-48.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$3.92 £2.93
-70.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$112 £83.6
-30.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$5.75 £4.29
-77.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$2.53 £1.89
-18.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$23.92 £17.86
-64.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$2.04 £1.53
-33.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$38.7K £28.9K
-11.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$40.1K £30.0K
-13.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$469 £350
-63.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$15.97 £11.93
-15.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$47.00 £35.09
-40.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$39.72 £29.66
10.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$13.18 £9.84
30.42%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$12.62 £9.42
-45.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$2,180 £1,628
-63.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$17.6K £13.2K
-48.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$68.0 £50.8
24.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$31.16 £23.26
86.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$105 £78.7
28.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$74.2 £55.4
31.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,381 £1,031
-12.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$1,050 £784
-38.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$2,160 £1,613
-6.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,946 £1,453
-48.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$5,743 £4,288
-27.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$4,565 £3,409
-58.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Exeter
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$3,062 £2,286
-78.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.11
114.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Exeter
$1K 63.6% $408
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Exeter
$334 12.4% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Exeter
$532 152% $320
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Exeter
$320 88.6% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Exeter
$125 25.8% $44
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Exeter
$146 56.1% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Exeter
$65 12.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $334 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇧 Exeter
🕒 Local time
13:21 1:21 PM
18:21 6:21 PM
5 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
130,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Exeter 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Exeter?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,571 in Exeter, so Medellin is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 79% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Exeter?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or Exeter?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,571 in Exeter – Medellin is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,571 in Exeter, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Exeter. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Where should families live: Medellin or Exeter?
For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Exeter, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Where should expats move: Medellin or Exeter?
Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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