Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and on the Isle of Islay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Isle of Islay $4,354

Medellin is about 31% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Isle of Islay sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Isle of Islay by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$21.60 £16.21

-61.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$81.4 £61.1

-42.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.60 £7.95

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.48 £3.36

-31.92%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.48 £1.86

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.32 £0.99

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$5.83 £4.37

-44.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$6.01 £4.51

-7.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.03 £1.52

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.75 £1.32

35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.74 £2.06

-37.96%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$5.41 £4.06

-45.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.39 £5.54

38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$9.52 £7.14

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$15.36 £11.53

-9.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.50 £1.88

65.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.20 £1.65

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.82 £2.12

-21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.87 £2.15

-20.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$3.06 £2.29

-34.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.11 £1.58

-20.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.86 £1.40

-36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.43 £1.82

-48.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$23.79 £17.85

-83.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.03 £9.03

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$3.26 £2.44

-49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.22 £2.41

-25.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$3.50 £2.62

-64.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$98.1 £73.6

-20.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.75 £3.56

-73.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$3.79 £2.84

-43.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$26.58 £19.94

-68.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.07 £1.55

-34.78%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$38.5K £28.9K

-9.78%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$40.4K £30.3K

-14.20%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$238 £178

-29.89%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$13.09 £9.82

4.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$42.21 £31.67

-31.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$43.82 £32.88

2.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$13.44 £10.08

-48.14%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$1,918 £1,439

-58.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$24.8K £18.6K

-63.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$100 £75.1

-12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$57.6 £43.19

1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$121 £90.9

14.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$87.1 £65.4

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,272 £955

-19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,039 £779

-40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,126 £1,595

-11.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,449 £1,087

-30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$5,528 £4,147

-27.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,409 £2,558

-50.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.41

102.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 67.7% $420

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 12.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 39.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 4.7% $8.1

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 84.3% $144

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 42.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 19.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $334 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,457

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Isle of Islay 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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