Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Holmestrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,929 in Holmestrand, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Holmestrand, Norway
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Holmestrand
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,929
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Holmestrand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,929 in Holmestrand.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Holmestrand $2,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $4,385 in Holmestrand.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Holmestrand $4,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $5,842 in Holmestrand.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Holmestrand $5,842

Living in Medellin costs roughly 42% less than in Holmestrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Holmestrand 117% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$21.05 NOK 194
-60.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$126 NOK 1,164
-63.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$16.25 NOK 150
-41.72%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$5.94 NOK 54.8
-47.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,727
$4.43 NOK 40.89
-60.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,619
$3.50 NOK 32.25
-59.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$11.62 NOK 107
-72.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$12.85 NOK 119
-55.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,969
$2.55 NOK 23.51
-40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,429
$4.39 NOK 40.49
-47.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,306
$4.77 NOK 43.95
-59.33%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,942
$6.13 NOK 56.5
-49.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$15.35 NOK 142
-34.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$15.81 NOK 146
-33.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$32.66 NOK 301
-57.26%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$3.30 NOK 30.42
22.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,956
$2.78 NOK 25.63
-44.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,823
$3.57 NOK 32.94
-41.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,437
$5.89 NOK 54.4
-61.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,839
$2.71 NOK 24.97
-22.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,542
$3.01 NOK 27.75
-43.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,794
$3.14 NOK 28.95
-62.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,123
$2.42 NOK 22.36
-34.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$19.19 NOK 177
-79.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.5K
$16.74 NOK 154
-16.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,712
$3.45 NOK 31.80
-48.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,793
$4.22 NOK 38.93
-35.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,825
$4.64 NOK 42.78
-74.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$86.4 NOK 797
-11.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,859
$12.31 NOK 114
-85.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,904
$1.83 NOK 16.86
16.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$72.2 NOK 666
-88.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,135
$2.44 NOK 22.52
-47.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$49.2K NOK 453.5K
-29.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$45.6K NOK 420.3K
-25.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.3K
$434 NOK 4,006
-59.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$34.21 NOK 316
-59.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$55.8 NOK 515
-44.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$49.34 NOK 455
-15.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$36.87 NOK 340
-54.43%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$20.22 NOK 187
-63.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$239 NOK 2,202
230.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$15.8K NOK 146.0K
-22.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 279.9K
$102 NOK 942
-15.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$61.3 NOK 565
-3.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.6K
$135 NOK 1,245
2.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.4K
$163 NOK 1,508
-39.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$1,238 NOK 11.4K
8.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$1,049 NOK 9,670
-36.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$2,093 NOK 19.3K
-5.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,694 NOK 15.6K
-39.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$6,497 NOK 59.9K
-36.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$4,262 NOK 39.3K
-54.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Holmestrand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.94
121.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Holmestrand: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Holmestrand
$1K 57.2% $381
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Holmestrand
$528 71.8% $221
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Holmestrand
$524 136% $302
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Holmestrand
$404 134% $231
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Holmestrand
$208 20.7% $36
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Holmestrand
$126 35.3% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Holmestrand
$90 57.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,238 in Holmestrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $126 in Holmestrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $528 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇳🇴 Holmestrand
🕒 Local time
17:16 5:16 PM
23:16 11:16 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
26,932
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.38 NOK (100 NOK = 9.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Holmestrand 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Holmestrand

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 Holmestrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Holmestrand?
Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Holmestrand. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Holmestrand?
You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $4,393 in Holmestrand to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Holmestrand?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,238 in Holmestrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Holmestrand?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $239 in Holmestrand. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Holmestrand?
Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Holmestrand. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Medellin or in Holmestrand?
At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,929 in Holmestrand, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Holmestrand. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Holmestrand?
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.

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