Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hilo, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hilo, HI

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Hilo, HI $2,865

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $4,388 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Hilo, HI $4,388

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $5,910 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Hilo, HI $5,910

Medellin is about 41% cheaper than Hilo, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Hilo, HI sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Hilo, HI by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$20.77 $20.77

-59.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$79.9 $79.9

-41.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$12.17 $12.17

-22.19%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$5.63 $5.63

-44.40%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$2.90 $2.90

-38.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$2.42 $2.42

-41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.32 $6.32

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$7.57 $7.57

-24.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.75 $1.75

-12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$10.08 $10.08

-77.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$4.28 $4.28

-54.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$7.07 $7.07

-56.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$19.98 $19.98

-50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$17.57 $17.57

-40.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$30.15 $30.15

-53.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$8.57 $8.57

-52.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$2.39 $2.39

-35.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$10.48 $10.48

-79.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$12.21 $12.21

-81.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$9.04 $9.04

-76.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$7.81 $7.81

-78.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$5.36 $5.36

-78.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$3.02 $3.02

-47.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$11.90 $11.90

-67.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$22.03 $22.03

-36.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.76 $1.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$2.95 $2.95

-38.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$2.00 $2.00

6.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$23.57 $23.57

-65.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.41 $1.41

-9.22%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$25.5K $25.5K

35.03%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$26.0K $26.0K

31.09%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$302 $302

-41.14%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$67.7 $67.7

-79.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$125 $125

-75.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$37.04 $37.04

13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$25.30 $25.30

-33.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$13.24 $13.24

-43.58%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$11.8K $11.8K

3.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$36.77 $36.77

134.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$29.88 $29.88

98.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$66.8 $66.8

107.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$83.9 $83.9

17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,463 $1,463

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,142 $1,142

-41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,574 $2,574

-23.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,199 $2,199

-53.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$5,600 $5,600

-26.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$4,662 $4,662

-58.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,795 $3,795

-82.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.62

65.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9% 71.2% $475

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25% 133% $408

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3% 123% $273

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8% 96% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4% 43.2% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5% 86.1% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2% 11.7% $6.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilo, HI are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $80 in Hilo, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $715 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

5 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

44,186

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Hilo, HI 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hilo, HI

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 Hilo, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 69% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $4,297 in Hilo, HI. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,341 in Medellin and $1,463 in Hilo, HI. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,865 in Hilo, HI. That makes Medellin about 41% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Hilo, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Hilo, HI at $2,865. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI 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 $1,692 in Medellin to $2,865 in Hilo, HI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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