Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gothenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Medellin $1,639
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Medellin $2,413
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Medellin $3,186
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Medellin costs roughly 18% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.67 SEK 134

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$86.7 SEK 851

-45.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$12.40 SEK 122

-23.39%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-40.28%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.99 SEK 29.31

-39.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.33 SEK 22.89

-39.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.88 SEK 67.5

-53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$7.57 SEK 74.3

-24.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.79 SEK 27.36

-14.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.26 SEK 31.97

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.90 SEK 38.26

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.25 SEK 110

-9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$11.57 SEK 114

-14.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$16.43 SEK 161

-14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.01 SEK 29.54

31.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.45 SEK 24.06

-36.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.90 SEK 28.48

-24.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.49 SEK 44.09

-51.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.83 SEK 17.95

7.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-43.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-52.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$15.18 SEK 149

-9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.04 SEK 20.04

-18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.25 SEK 22.12

0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-69.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$86.4 SEK 848

-10.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-79.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.67 SEK 16.37

22.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$59.2 SEK 581

-85.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.75 SEK 17.20

-22.86%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

1.96%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

2.59%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$104 SEK 1,017

63.72%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.70 SEK 193

-31.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$34.35 SEK 337

-18.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$34.01 SEK 334

28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$24.39 SEK 239

-29.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$16.98 SEK 167

-59.31%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$222 SEK 2,180

258.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

110.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$88.7 SEK 870

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$32.91 SEK 323

76.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$87.8 SEK 861

53.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$134 SEK 1,315

-26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$874 SEK 8,575

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

-27.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

-34.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

-52.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-81.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.06

257.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 36.2% $232

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 21.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 25.4% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 63.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 24.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 18.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $87 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $360 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

607,882

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gothenburg 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Gothenburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.