Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Gulbene: $1,289 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gulbene

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,289 in Gulbene, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Gulbene $1,289

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,973 in Gulbene, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Gulbene $1,973

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,657 in Gulbene, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Gulbene $2,657

Medellin costs about 26% more than Gulbene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Gulbene is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$16.73 €14.88

-50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$68.5 €60.9

-31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.45 €8.41

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.82 €3.40

-20.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.59 €1.41

13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.20 €1.07

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$5.57 €4.95

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.18 €4.61

7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.19 €1.06

26.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.50 €1.33

58.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.54 €2.26

-33.07%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.72 €3.30

-20.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.70 €9.52

-4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$8.74 €7.77

11.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.98 €12.43

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.09 €1.86

97.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.77 €1.57

-13.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.56 €2.27

-13.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.25 €2.89

-30.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.88 €0.79

126.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.95 €0.84

75.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.77 €1.57

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.98 €0.87

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$6.53 €5.81

-40.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.02 €7.14

71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.01 €1.79

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.02 €1.79

18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.41 €3.03

-62.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.99 €0.88

117.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$17.96 €15.97

-53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.12 €1.89

-36.32%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.3K €24.3K

27.28%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$29.7K €26.4K

16.70%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$368 €328

-54.77%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$19.94 €17.74

-31.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$19.84 €17.65

46.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$11.06 €9.83

-36.98%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$674 €599

17.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$18.4K €16.4K

-50.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$70.2 €62.4

25.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$51.0 €45.33

14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$86.2 €76.7

61.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$136 €121

-27.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$190 €169

440.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$168 €149

269.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$352 €313

434.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$332 €295

203.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$681 €605

485.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$568 €505

199.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.77

129.35%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Gulbene

$168 13% 72.9% $452

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Gulbene

$271 21% 9.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 95% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Gulbene

$155 12% 10.5% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Gulbene

$257 20% 50.7% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 91.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 62.5% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $190 in Gulbene. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $69.0 in Gulbene. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $271 in Gulbene – so Gulbene wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Gulbene 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $1,289 in Gulbene – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,934 in Gulbene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gulbene, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,289 in Gulbene. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $674 in Gulbene. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gulbene, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Gulbene it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Gulbene to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gulbene. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.