Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Halmstad

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Halmstad: $1,639 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
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Halmstad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Halmstad

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,608 in Halmstad, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Halmstad $1,608

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,517 in Halmstad, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Halmstad $2,517

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,426 in Halmstad, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Halmstad $3,426

Medellin and Halmstad have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Medellin and Halmstad sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Halmstad by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.09 SEK 130

-38.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$70.6 SEK 701

-33.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.47 SEK 114

-17.18%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.67 SEK 46.42

-35.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.86 SEK 28.43

-37.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.38 SEK 23.62

-40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.02 SEK 69.7

-54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$7.18 SEK 71.3

-19.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.49 SEK 14.79

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.49 SEK 24.73

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.16 SEK 31.38

-43.99%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.34 SEK 33.14

-13.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.17 SEK 111

-8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$8.98 SEK 89.2

9.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$16.48 SEK 164

-15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.12 SEK 31.00

27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.53 SEK 25.13

-38.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.99 SEK 29.71

-27.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.99 SEK 39.61

-45.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.53 SEK 15.22

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.48 SEK 14.66

7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.97 SEK 19.52

-41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.86 SEK 8.49

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.58 SEK 65.4

-39.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.43 SEK 104

31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.01 SEK 19.97

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.24 SEK 22.25

0.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.82 SEK 28.05

-58.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$65.4 SEK 649

18.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$6.06 SEK 60.2

-79.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.65 SEK 16.42

24.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$59.1 SEK 587

-85.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.83 SEK 18.18

-26.23%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$33.2K SEK 329.7K

2.63%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.3K SEK 330.4K

4.21%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$105 SEK 1,042

61.73%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$19.73 SEK 196

-31.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$34.15 SEK 339

-17.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$34.85 SEK 346

25.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$16.80 SEK 167

-58.87%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$149 SEK 1,482

433.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,359 SEK 43.3K

109.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$88.7 SEK 880

-4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$32.58 SEK 324

77.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$89.1 SEK 885

51.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$130 SEK 1,290

-24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$586 SEK 5,821

106.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$553 SEK 5,496

15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,119 SEK 11.1K

81.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$972 SEK 9,650

4.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,339 SEK 43.1K

-3.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,263 SEK 22.5K

-70.96%

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 Halmstad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Halmstad

$553 34.4% 13.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Halmstad

$317 19.7% 6.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Halmstad

$159 9.9% 24.8% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Halmstad

$266 16.5% 56.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Halmstad

$153 9.5% 9.4% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 2.7% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Halmstad

$68 4.3% 19% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $586 in Halmstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Halmstad are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $71 in Halmstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $317 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

55,688

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Halmstad 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Halmstad

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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,412 in Halmstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Halmstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $71 in Halmstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Halmstad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,608 in Halmstad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Halmstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.