Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Half Way Tree

For one person, living is cheaper in Half Way Tree: $852 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Half Way Tree
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Half Way Tree Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Half Way Tree

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Half Way Tree

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 Half Way Tree actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $852 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Half Way Tree $852

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,414 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Half Way Tree $1,414

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,976 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Half Way Tree $1,976

Medellin costs about 92% more than Half Way Tree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Half Way Tree is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.63 JMD 731

74.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-37.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.38 JMD 1,322

13.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.16 JMD 814

-41.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.91 JMD 144

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.65 JMD 102

116.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.25 JMD 355

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.11 JMD 491

84.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$3.73 JMD 588

-59.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.67 JMD 263

42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.37 JMD 217

29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.47 JMD 546

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.62 JMD 1,833

-12.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.49 JMD 1,023

52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.46 JMD 1,650

33.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.13 JMD 652

-3.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.91 JMD 616

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.21 JMD 665

-48.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.72 JMD 428

-19.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.84 JMD 448

-30.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.68 JMD 422

-40.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.29 JMD 204

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 JMD 155

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.58 JMD 1,510

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.42 JMD 1,801

19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.84 JMD 448

-41.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.02 JMD 634

-43.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$44.73 JMD 7,054

72.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.92 JMD 145

38.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.19 JMD 503

-35.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.41 JMD 1,011

33.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.40 JMD 221

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-24.09%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

6.94%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-0.92%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.54 JMD 4,658

-54.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$43.84 JMD 6,914

-35.97%

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

$13.21 JMD 2,084

-47.69%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$61.7 JMD 9,735

1190.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,216 JMD 1.3M

10.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$15.56 JMD 2,454

444.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.59 JMD 4,981

83.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$31.94 JMD 5,036

322.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$30.87 JMD 4,868

217.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,137 JMD 179.2K

6.27%

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 Half Way Tree: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Half Way Tree

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Half Way Tree

$322 37.8% 8.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Half Way Tree

$245 28.7% 15.8% $33

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Half Way Tree

$148 17.4% 12.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Half Way Tree

$49 5.8% 70.7% $120

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Half Way Tree

$62 * 7.2% 34.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Half Way Tree

$26 * 3.1% 54.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,137 in Half Way Tree. 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 $75 in Half Way Tree. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $322 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Half Way Tree

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,552

💱 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 = 3,501 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Half Way Tree 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Half Way Tree

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 Half Way Tree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 92% more than Half Way Tree, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,279 in Half Way Tree. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,137 in Half Way Tree. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Half Way Tree. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $62 in Half Way Tree. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $852 in Half Way Tree. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Half Way Tree costs $852 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.