Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Green Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,009 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
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Green Island Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Green Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,009 in Green Island.

Medellin $1,639
Green Island $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,670 in Green Island.

Medellin $2,413
Green Island $1,670

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,332 in Green Island.

Medellin $3,186
Green Island $2,332

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than in Green Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Green Island is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.69 JMD 2,159

-40.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

-38.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.07 JMD 1,273

17.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.33 JMD 840

-43.53%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.20 JMD 190

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.74 JMD 117

90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.17 JMD 342

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.06 JMD 482

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$4.10 JMD 646

-63.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.70 JMD 584

-35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.62 JMD 255

9.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.47 JMD 547

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.45 JMD 1,806

-11.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.34 JMD 1,000

55.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.40 JMD 1,640

34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.09 JMD 960

-34.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.92 JMD 618

-60.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$7.21 JMD 1,137

-69.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.12 JMD 492

-30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.17 JMD 500

-38.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.70 JMD 426

-41.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.10 JMD 489

-62.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.51 JMD 238

-17.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.22 JMD 1,454

-57.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.28 JMD 1,779

21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.80 JMD 441

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.09 JMD 644

-44.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.24 JMD 196

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.12 JMD 492

-34.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.16 JMD 971

38.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.47 JMD 232

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$43.5K JMD 6.9M

-21.63%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.4K JMD 5.3M

3.95%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$170 JMD 26.7K

0.08%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.28 JMD 4,618

-53.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$53.1 JMD 8,368

-47.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.48 JMD 2,126

-48.74%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$355 JMD 55.9K

124.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,242 JMD 1.3M

10.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$24.02 JMD 3,788

252.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.52 JMD 4,970

83.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

71.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$103 JMD 16.2K

-4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Green Island: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Green Island

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Green Island

$384 38.1% 29.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Green Island

$252 25% 19.2% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Green Island

$222 22.1% 31.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Green Island

$107 10.6% 36.9% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Green Island

$17 * 1.7% 82% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Green Island

$27 * 2.7% 53.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $76 in Green Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $384 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Green Island

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,546

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Green Island 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Green Island

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 Green Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,009 in Green Island, so Green Island is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,513 in Green Island 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.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,009 in Green Island – Green Island is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Green Island 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.