Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,530 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
Learn more

Forbes Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,530 in Forbes.

Medellin $1,692
Forbes $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,647 in Forbes.

Medellin $2,471
Forbes $3,647

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,764 in Forbes.

Medellin $3,249
Forbes $4,764

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$17.25 A$24.58

-51.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$84.4 A$120

-44.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$10.54 A$15.01

-10.15%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.05 A$5.77

-22.72%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$2.90 A$4.13

-38.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$2.22 A$3.16

-36.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$7.75 A$11.04

-59.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$7.45 A$10.62

-23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.52 A$2.17

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$2.71 A$3.87

-15.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$2.24 A$3.19

-13.39%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$5.06 A$7.21

-39.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$9.58 A$13.65

4.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$9.16 A$13.06

14.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$14.47 A$20.62

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$3.69 A$5.26

9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$3.04 A$4.33

-49.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$3.28 A$4.67

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$4.71 A$6.71

-51.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$2.77 A$3.94

-23.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$2.39 A$3.41

-28.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$2.33 A$3.32

-49.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.53 A$2.18

3.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$42.64 A$60.8

-90.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$14.23 A$20.28

-1.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$4.78 A$6.81

-63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$5.21 A$7.43

-47.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$2.77 A$3.95

-57.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$85.2 A$121

-10.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$3.56 A$5.08

-49.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$1.63 A$2.32

30.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$40.80 A$58.2

-80.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.32 A$1.87

-3.03%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$29.2K A$41.7K

17.77%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$26.1K A$37.2K

30.63%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$212 A$302

-16.14%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$27.83 A$39.66

-50.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$57.0 A$81.2

-46.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$56.1 A$79.9

-25.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

$17.97 A$25.60

-6.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$14.18 A$20.20

-47.32%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$2,134 A$3,040

-62.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$20.0K A$28.5K

-38.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$76.2 A$109

13.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$54.2 A$77.2

9.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$106 A$152

30.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$123 A$175

-19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,386 A$1,976

-3.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$1,220 A$1,739

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,234 A$3,183

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,836 A$2,616

-43.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$5,936 A$8,459

-30.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

$4,932 A$7,028

-60.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.9

85.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Forbes: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Forbes

$1.2K 48.2% 82.9% $553

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Forbes

$366 14.5% 19.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Forbes

$297 11.7% 33.5% $74

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Forbes

$292 11.6% 69.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Forbes

$162 6.4% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Forbes

$108 4.3% 15.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Forbes

$84 3.3% 48.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,386 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $84 in Forbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $366 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

10:42 10:42 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,481

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Forbes 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,530 in Forbes, so Medellin is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $3,795 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,386 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $2,530 in Forbes – Medellin is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 10% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,530 in Forbes, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Forbes. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.