Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,328 in Glarus, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
159

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Glarus

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,328 in Glarus, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Glarus $3,328

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $5,017 in Glarus, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Glarus $5,017

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,706 in Glarus, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Glarus $6,706

Medellin is about 51% cheaper than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Glarus sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Glarus by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$29.28 CHF 24.15

-72.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$119 CHF 98.3

-60.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$17.86 CHF 14.73

-46.81%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-49.07%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.87 CHF 3.20

-53.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$3.88 CHF 3.20

-63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$8.89 CHF 7.33

-64.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.37 CHF 5.25

-9.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-31.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.20 CHF 2.64

-25.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.89 CHF 2.38

-38.75%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$7.95 CHF 6.56

-63.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.26 CHF 6.81

23.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$14.23 CHF 11.74

-30.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$39.22 CHF 32.35

-64.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.12 CHF 2.57

27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.55 CHF 1.27

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.31 CHF 1.90

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$5.37 CHF 4.43

-59.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.65 CHF 1.36

18.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-24.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.19 CHF 0.99

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$11.08 CHF 9.14

-64.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.02 CHF 9.09

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-21.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$5.94 CHF 4.90

-80.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$225 CHF 185

-65.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$6.52 CHF 5.37

-80.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$79.3 CHF 65.4

-89.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-38.91%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

-11.07%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-10.73%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$311 CHF 257

-45.53%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$37.41 CHF 30.86

-63.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$54.1 CHF 44.65

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$162 CHF 133

-72.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$43.11 CHF 35.56

-60.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$25.30 CHF 20.87

-72.69%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,278 CHF 1,878

-65.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$32.5K CHF 26.8K

-71.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$102 CHF 84.0

-16.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$42.39 CHF 34.96

36.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$131 CHF 108

2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$97.6 CHF 80.5

0.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,676 CHF 1,382

-27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,377 CHF 1,136

-53.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,960 CHF 2,441

-31.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,298 CHF 1,895

-55.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.1

420.95%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glarus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Glarus

$1.4K 41.4% 115% $735

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Glarus

$442 13.3% 48.7% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Glarus

$403 12.1% 90.8% $192

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Glarus

$447 13.4% 164% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Glarus

$168 5.1% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Glarus

$279 8.4% 198% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Glarus

$212 6.4% 269% $155

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,676 in Glarus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $119 in Glarus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $442 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

05:42 5:42 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Glarus 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Glarus

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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Glarus is pricier by about 103%, 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 $4,992 in Glarus. 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 $1,676 in Glarus.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $2,278 in Glarus. 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 Glarus at $3,328. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glarus 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.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.