Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Horten

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,702 in Horten, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Horten, Norway
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Horten
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,702
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Horten

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,702 in Horten, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Horten $2,702

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,828 in Horten, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Horten $3,828

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,954 in Horten, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Horten $4,954

Medellin is about 39% cheaper than Horten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Horten sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Horten by 99%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$21.23 NOK 197
-61.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$127 NOK 1,174
-62.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$16.02 NOK 149
-40.70%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$6.12 NOK 56.7
-50.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$3.00 NOK 27.82
-40.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$3.19 NOK 29.56
-55.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$11.94 NOK 111
-73.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$12.77 NOK 118
-54.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$2.39 NOK 22.13
-36.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$3.65 NOK 33.82
-34.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$4.14 NOK 38.36
-57.25%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$5.30 NOK 49.10
-45.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.97 NOK 73.9
27.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$15.72 NOK 146
-37.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$12.10 NOK 112
15.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$3.33 NOK 30.90
19.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.70 NOK 25.03
-42.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$3.52 NOK 32.66
-38.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$5.87 NOK 54.4
-62.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$2.80 NOK 25.99
-30.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$2.90 NOK 26.88
-45.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$2.20 NOK 20.37
-47.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$2.43 NOK 22.48
-48.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$19.01 NOK 176
-79.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$16.87 NOK 156
-18.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$3.51 NOK 32.53
-52.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$4.27 NOK 39.60
-47.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Horten
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$4.94 NOK 45.82
-76.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$89.6 NOK 831
-13.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$12.29 NOK 114
-89.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$1.91 NOK 17.69
7.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$70.1 NOK 649
-87.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$2.45 NOK 22.71
-44.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$48.4K NOK 448.8K
-29.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$45.2K NOK 419.3K
-23.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$430 NOK 3,984
-60.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$34.72 NOK 322
-60.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$53.8 NOK 499
-47.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$20.50 NOK 190
-66.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$130 NOK 1,205
512.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$15.8K NOK 146.4K
-42.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$105 NOK 973
-19.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$42.84 NOK 397
35.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$58.3 NOK 540
131.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$158 NOK 1,469
-38.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Horten
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,133 NOK 10.5K
6.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$1,021 NOK 9,466
-37.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,810 NOK 16.8K
12.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,292 NOK 12.0K
-21.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Horten
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Horten: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Horten
$1K 59.2% $380
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Horten
$425 43.2% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Horten
$518 145% $307
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Horten
$401 137% $232
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Horten
$164 2.9% $4.9
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Horten
$131 40.3% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Horten
$41 * 28.8% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,133 in Horten. 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 $127 in Horten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $425 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇳🇴 Horten
🕒 Local time
14:09 2:09 PM
20:09 8:09 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
28,001
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.27 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Horten 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Horten

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 Horten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Horten compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,702 in Horten – Medellin comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Horten?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,054 in Horten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Horten?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,133 in Horten. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or Horten?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,702 in Horten. That makes Medellin about 39% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Medellin and in Horten?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Horten at $2,702. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Horten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Horten?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,702 in Horten. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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