Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Galway

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $3,331 in Galway.

Medellin $1,589
Galway $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $4,673 in Galway.

Medellin $2,364
Galway $4,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $6,015 in Galway.

Medellin $3,139
Galway $6,015

Living in Medellin costs roughly 52% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Galway 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$22.88 €20.40

-64.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$112 €100

-58.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$16.51 €14.72

-42.88%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$4.98 €4.44

-41.57%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$2.99 €2.66

-41.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$2.31 €2.06

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$7.85 €7.00

-60.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$6.91 €6.16

-19.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$1.65 €1.47

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$2.39 €2.13

2.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$2.19 €1.95

-25.57%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$4.26 €3.79

-33.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$17.01 €15.17

-43.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$11.11 €9.91

-16.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$13.55 €12.08

-0.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$3.12 €2.78

28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$2.18 €1.95

-32.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$3.13 €2.79

-32.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$4.18 €3.73

-46.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$2.05 €1.82

-6.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$1.49 €1.32

8.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.32 €1.18

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$1.91 €1.71

-34.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$20.25 €18.06

-81.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$13.99 €12.47

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$4.07 €3.63

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$4.47 €3.99

-49.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.15 €1.92

-45.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$62.4 €55.6

20.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$5.29 €4.72

-75.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$1.48 €1.32

38.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$55.5 €49.52

-85.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$2.09 €1.87

-39.23%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$39.5K €35.2K

-32.18%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$37.4K €33.4K

-8.07%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$246 €219

-33.94%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$21.02 €18.74

-37.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$51.8 €46.16

-45.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$44.53 €39.71

-0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$22.10 €19.71

-26.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$16.91 €15.07

-63.99%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$1,019 €908

-24.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$102 €90.7

-16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$48.56 €43.30

18.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$111 €99.4

18.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$114 €102

-15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$2,243 €2,000

-54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$1,910 €1,703

-68.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$3,652 €3,256

-50.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$2,678 €2,388

-62.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$5,985 €5,336

-34.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$4,556 €4,062

-64.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,943 €2,624

-78.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.68

197.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Galway

$1.9K 57.9% 216% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Galway

$370 11.2% 28.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Galway

$318 9.7% 56.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Galway

$169 5.1% 1.5% $2.5

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Galway

$367 11.1% 120% $200

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Galway

$84 2.5% 8.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Galway

$78 2.4% 38.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $2,243 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 370% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $112 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $370 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

75,529

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Galway 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Galway

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 Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 370% lower in Galway. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $2,243 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $3,331 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Galway are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.