Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,312 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Ipswich, United Kingdom
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Ipswich
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,312
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ipswich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,312 in Ipswich.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Ipswich $2,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,372 in Ipswich.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Ipswich $3,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,431 in Ipswich.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Ipswich $4,431

Living in Medellin costs roughly 29% less than in Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Ipswich 70% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$21.18 £15.94
-61.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$106 £79.5
-55.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$10.73 £8.07
-11.46%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$5.53 £4.16
-45.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$1.69 £1.27
6.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.77 £1.33
-20.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$6.79 £5.11
-53.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$6.98 £5.26
-17.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.70 £1.28
-11.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.62 £1.22
46.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.63 £1.22
8.59%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$4.22 £3.18
-31.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$12.92 £9.73
-21.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$8.64 £6.50
14.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$15.56 £11.71
-10.09%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$3.14 £2.37
26.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.43 £1.08
8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$2.71 £2.04
-19.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$3.18 £2.39
-31.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.62 £1.22
20.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.48 £1.11
7.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.42 £1.07
-19.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$1.47 £1.11
-15.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$23.91 £18.00
-83.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$10.84 £8.16
26.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$2.67 £2.01
-37.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$3.64 £2.74
-37.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$3.08 £2.32
-62.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$90.2 £67.9
-14.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$5.66 £4.26
-77.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$2.02 £1.52
1.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$33.52 £25.23
-74.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.89 £1.42
-28.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$39.4K £29.6K
-13.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$40.3K £30.3K
-13.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$379 £285
-55.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$15.44 £11.62
-12.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$41.33 £31.11
-32.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$34.72 £26.13
25.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$7.98 £6.01
115.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$17.72 £13.34
-61.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$2,209 £1,663
-63.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$19.7K £14.8K
-53.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$70.0 £52.7
21.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$54.4 £40.94
6.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$81.1 £61.1
66.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$70.3 £52.9
39.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,129 £849
7.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$924 £696
-30.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,602 £1,206
26.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,399 £1,053
-27.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$4,754 £3,578
-12.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,497 £2,632
-45.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ipswich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,955 £2,224
-77.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.79
128.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Ipswich
$924 44.1% $283
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Ipswich
$310 4.3% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Ipswich
$436 106% $225
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Ipswich
$330 94.5% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Ipswich
$124 26.6% $45
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Ipswich
$118 26.5% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Ipswich
$70 22% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,129 in Ipswich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipswich pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $106 in Ipswich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $310 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇧 Ipswich
🕒 Local time
15:34 3:34 PM
20:34 8:34 PM
5 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
120,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ipswich 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ipswich

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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Ipswich?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,312 in Ipswich, so Medellin is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Ipswich?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,129 in Ipswich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Medellin and in Ipswich?
A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 14% less than in Ipswich. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and Ipswich?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $2,209 in Ipswich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Ipswich?
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.
How do I decide between Medellin and Ipswich?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Ipswich on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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