Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Herentals

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,288 in Herentals, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Herentals, Belgium
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Herentals
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,288
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Herentals

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,288 in Herentals, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Herentals $2,288

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,178 in Herentals, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Herentals $3,178

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,067 in Herentals, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Herentals $4,067

Medellin is about 28% cheaper than Herentals, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Herentals sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Herentals by 68%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$17.89 €16.03
-54.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$90.2 €80.8
-47.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$12.36 €11.07
-23.14%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$3.70 €3.32
-18.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$3.52 €3.16
-48.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$2.54 €2.28
-44.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$5.61 €5.03
-43.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$4.48 €4.02
28.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.24 €1.11
21.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.70 €2.42
-11.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$3.67 €3.29
-51.77%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$3.61 €3.24
-19.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$17.89 €16.03
-43.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$11.75 €10.53
-16.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$15.01 €13.45
-6.80%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$3.09 €2.77
28.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$2.29 €2.05
-32.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$2.89 €2.59
-24.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$2.99 €2.68
-27.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$2.40 €2.16
-18.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$2.01 €1.80
-20.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.69 €1.52
-31.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.05 €0.94
18.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$9.22 €8.26
-57.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$8.03 €7.19
70.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$2.46 €2.21
-32.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$3.22 €2.88
-29.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$3.06 €2.74
-61.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$59.9 €53.7
29.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$5.07 €4.54
-74.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$2.56 €2.29
-19.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$17.06 €15.29
-49.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.82 €1.63
-25.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$35.5K €31.9K
-4.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$37.1K €33.2K
-6.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$335 €300
-49.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$25.21 €22.59
-46.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$60.3 €54.0
-53.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$38.13 €34.17
14.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$21.20 €19.00
-18.92%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$14.48 €12.97
-52.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$850 €762
-6.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$16.2K €14.6K
-43.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$86.1 €77.2
-1.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$50.4 €45.15
15.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$103 €92.4
30.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$131 €117
-25.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$845 €757
43.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$911 €817
-29.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,312 €1,175
54.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,081 €969
-6.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$3,972 €3,560
4.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$2,505 €2,245
-23.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Herentals
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.65
199.73%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Herentals: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Herentals
$911 42.1% $270
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Herentals
$347 16.9% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Herentals
$420 98.9% $209
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Herentals
$286 68.6% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Herentals
$167 1.4% $2.3
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Herentals
$90 3.8% $3.5
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Herentals
$67 16.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $845 in Herentals. 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 $90 in Herentals. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $347 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇪 Herentals
🕒 Local time
04:39 4:39 AM
10:39 10:39 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
25,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Herentals 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Herentals

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 Herentals: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Herentals?
Yes – Herentals is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,433 in Herentals. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Herentals, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $845 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Herentals?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $90 in Herentals. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Herentals?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,288 in Herentals. That makes Medellin about 28% cheaper.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Herentals?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,288 in Herentals. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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