Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,611 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,611 in Harstad.

Medellin $1,639
Harstad $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,888 in Harstad.

Medellin $2,413
Harstad $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,164 in Harstad.

Medellin $3,186
Harstad $5,164

Living in Medellin costs roughly 37% less than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Harstad 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.27 NOK 131

-43.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$106 NOK 971

-55.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$15.97 NOK 147

-40.51%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-51.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$3.70 NOK 34.03

-51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$3.18 NOK 29.18

-55.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$12.77 NOK 117

-75.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$14.04 NOK 129

-59.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.54 NOK 23.33

-40.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.39 NOK 31.10

-29.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.14 NOK 28.83

-43.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.42 NOK 40.61

-34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.37 NOK 104

-10.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$15.31 NOK 141

-35.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$41.97 NOK 386

-66.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-7.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-45.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-43.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.79 NOK 43.97

-54.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.21 NOK 20.33

-11.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.18 NOK 20.03

-27.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$3.00 NOK 27.55

-61.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$2.34 NOK 21.49

-47.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$16.41 NOK 151

-75.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$15.93 NOK 146

-14.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-57.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-53.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-81.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$84.1 NOK 772

-7.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$15.98 NOK 147

-92.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.91 NOK 17.52

7.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$58.0 NOK 533

-85.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.34 NOK 21.48

-42.31%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

-7.79%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

9.68%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$173 NOK 1,587

-1.79%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$35.51 NOK 326

-61.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$79.5 NOK 731

-64.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$49.72 NOK 457

-12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$36.95 NOK 339

-53.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$17.75 NOK 163

-61.07%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$325 NOK 2,985

145.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

72.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$68.8 NOK 632

23.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$35.70 NOK 328

62.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$121 NOK 1,115

11.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$170 NOK 1,563

-42.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,053 NOK 9,673

-39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

-13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

-34.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

-34.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

-56.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

-81.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 64.1% $411

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 73.8% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Harstad

$288 11% 36.2% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 110% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 5.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 43.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 48.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,411 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $106 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $516 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,119

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Harstad 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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 $1,411 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Harstad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $106 in Harstad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,611 in Harstad, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Harstad. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.