Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Federal Way, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,292 in Federal Way, WA, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Federal Way, WA
Learn more

Federal Way, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Federal Way, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Federal Way, WA

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,292 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Federal Way, WA $3,292

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,328 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Federal Way, WA $4,328

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,364 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Federal Way, WA $5,364

Medellin is about 50% cheaper than Federal Way, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Federal Way, WA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Federal Way, WA by 142%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$25.43 $25.43

-68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$75.7 $75.7

-37.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$12.64 $12.64

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.79 $5.79

-48.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.96 $2.96

-39.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.66 $1.66

-15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.20 $7.20

-55.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$7.09 $7.09

-18.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.11 $1.11

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$4.06 $4.06

-41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.17 $3.17

-44.16%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$5.25 $5.25

-44.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$16.13 $16.13

-36.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$10.70 $10.70

-7.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$19.14 $19.14

-26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.03 $5.03

-21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.57 $1.57

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.15 $4.15

-47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.63 $4.63

-52.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.59 $2.59

-24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.46 $2.46

-35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.29 $2.29

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.50 $2.50

-50.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$12.41 $12.41

-68.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.26 $15.26

-10.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.78 $1.78

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.90 $4.90

-53.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.60 $2.60

-55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.65 $2.65

-52.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.71 $1.71

19.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$29.95 $29.95

-71.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.31 $1.31

3.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.7K $27.7K

22.81%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.2K $27.2K

27.66%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$158 $158

7.24%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$77.5 $77.5

-82.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$87.1 $87.1

-67.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$13.02 $13.02

235.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$11.91 $11.91

-41.98%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,423 $1,423

-44.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$31.4K $31.4K

-70.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$45.30 $45.30

87.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.29 $44.29

30.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$84.7 $84.7

59.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$101 $101

-2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$2,006 $2,006

-39.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,987 $1,987

-67.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,761 $2,761

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,448 $2,448

-58.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,459 $4,459

-85.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.64

64.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Federal Way, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Federal Way, WA

$2K 60.4% 210% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Federal Way, WA

$420 12.8% 41.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Federal Way, WA

$323 9.8% 52.8% $112

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Federal Way, WA

$379 11.5% 124% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Federal Way, WA

$124 3.8% 26.7% $45

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Federal Way, WA

$22 * 0.7% 76.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Federal Way, WA

$37 1.1% 36% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,006 in Federal Way, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Federal Way, WA are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $76 in Federal Way, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $420 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Federal Way, WA

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

101,030

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Federal Way, WA 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Federal Way, WA

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 Federal Way, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Federal Way, WA is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,938 in Federal Way, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,006 in Federal Way, WA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $3,292 in Federal Way, WA. That’s a gap of about 101%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $1,423 in Federal Way, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Federal Way, WA at $3,292. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Federal Way, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Federal Way, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.