Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Honolulu, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,708 in Honolulu, HI, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Honolulu, HI
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Honolulu, HI Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Honolulu, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Honolulu, 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 Honolulu, HI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,708 in Honolulu, HI, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Honolulu, HI $3,708

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $5,954 in Honolulu, HI, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Honolulu, HI $5,954

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $8,200 in Honolulu, HI, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Honolulu, HI $8,200

Medellin is about 56% cheaper than Honolulu, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Honolulu, HI sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Honolulu, HI by 172%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$27.73 $27.73

-70.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$140 $140

-66.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$15.03 $15.03

-36.79%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$10.28 $10.28

-70.72%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$4.84 $4.84

-62.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$3.57 $3.57

-60.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$10.68 $10.68

-70.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$11.28 $11.28

-49.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.18 $2.18

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$7.52 $7.52

-68.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$10.17 $10.17

-82.60%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$8.69 $8.69

-66.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$27.68 $27.68

-63.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$20.05 $20.05

-50.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$21.26 $21.26

-34.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$7.99 $7.99

-50.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$5.14 $5.14

-69.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$6.77 $6.77

-67.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$9.48 $9.48

-77.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$4.81 $4.81

-59.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$4.89 $4.89

-67.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$5.15 $5.15

-77.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$3.18 $3.18

-61.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$12.91 $12.91

-69.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$18.31 $18.31

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.72 $2.72

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$5.81 $5.81

-61.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$3.07 $3.07

-61.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$90.8 $90.8

-14.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.42 $3.42

-62.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.58 $2.58

-20.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$45.37 $45.37

-81.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.44 $1.44

-6.25%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$36.2K $36.2K

-5.81%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$26.1K $26.1K

32.79%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$259 $259

-34.43%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$66.4 $66.4

-79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$66.2 $66.2

-57.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$53.8 $53.8

-18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$31.55 $31.55

-45.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$19.86 $19.86

-65.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,174 $2,174

-63.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$26.7K $26.7K

-65.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$62.7 $62.7

35.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$47.12 $47.12

23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$99.8 $99.8

35.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$130 $130

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,529 $2,529

-52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,741 $1,741

-63.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$4,407 $4,407

-53.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,603 $3,603

-71.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$9,028 $9,028

-53.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$7,207 $7,207

-73.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,079 $4,079

-83.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.7

63.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Honolulu, HI: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Honolulu, HI

$1.7K 47% 171% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Honolulu, HI

$710 19.1% 139% $413

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Honolulu, HI

$391 10.6% 85.2% $180

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Honolulu, HI

$500 13.5% 195% $330

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Honolulu, HI

$153 4.1% 9.5% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Honolulu, HI

$119 3.2% 27.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Honolulu, HI

$94 2.5% 62.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,529 in Honolulu, 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 Honolulu, HI are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $140 in Honolulu, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $710 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Honolulu, HI

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

10:54 10:54 AM

5 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

350,964

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Honolulu, HI 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Honolulu, 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 Honolulu, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honolulu, HI costs about 126% 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $5,562 in Honolulu, HI. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,529 in Honolulu, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $3,708 in Honolulu, HI. That makes Medellin about 56% cheaper.

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

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Honolulu, HI at $3,708. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honolulu, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $3,708 in Honolulu, HI. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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