Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jacksonville, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Jacksonville, FL, United States
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Jacksonville, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,487
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jacksonville, FL

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Jacksonville, FL $2,487

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,787 in Jacksonville, FL, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Jacksonville, FL $3,787

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,087 in Jacksonville, FL, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Jacksonville, FL $5,087

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than Jacksonville, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Jacksonville, FL sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Jacksonville, FL by 83%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$19.69 $19.69
-58.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$102 $102
-53.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$11.37 $11.37
-16.45%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$5.58 $5.58
-46.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$3.11 $3.11
-42.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$2.18 $2.18
-35.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$4.98 $4.98
-36.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$7.19 $7.19
-20.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.00 $1.00
51.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$3.35 $3.35
-28.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$3.73 $3.73
-52.55%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$4.40 $4.40
-34.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$13.72 $13.72
-25.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$9.57 $9.57
3.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$16.24 $16.24
-13.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$4.82 $4.82
-17.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.42 $1.42
9.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$3.97 $3.97
-45.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$4.53 $4.53
-51.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$2.93 $2.93
-33.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$3.06 $3.06
-48.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$2.67 $2.67
-56.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$2.50 $2.50
-50.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$9.34 $9.34
-57.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$14.63 $14.63
-6.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$2.05 $2.05
-19.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$3.21 $3.21
-29.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$1.77 $1.77
-33.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$64.5 $64.5
19.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$1.51 $1.51
-15.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$1.17 $1.17
75.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$13.75 $13.75
-37.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.04 $1.04
29.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$31.3K $31.3K
8.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$26.1K $26.1K
32.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$218 $218
-22.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$64.4 $64.4
-78.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$68.2 $68.2
-58.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$35.02 $35.02
24.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$6.49 $6.49
164.87%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$14.76 $14.76
-53.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$1,318 $1,318
-39.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$12.0K $12.0K
-24.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$64.1 $64.1
32.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$47.85 $47.85
21.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$112 $112
20.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$151 $151
-35.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,651 $1,651
-26.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$1,118 $1,118
-42.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$2,590 $2,590
-21.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,963 $1,963
-48.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$2,356 $2,356
77.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,066 $2,066
-7.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Jacksonville, FL
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$4,010 $4,010
-83.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.69
63.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jacksonville, FL: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Jacksonville, FL
$1.1K 74.3% $477
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Jacksonville, FL
$386 30.1% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Jacksonville, FL
$350 65.9% $139
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Jacksonville, FL
$319 88.1% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Jacksonville, FL
$169 0.1% $0.1
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Jacksonville, FL
$79 15.6% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Jacksonville, FL
$65 12.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jacksonville, FL are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $102 in Jacksonville, FL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $386 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL
🕒 Local time
13:58 1:58 PM
13:58 1:58 PM
Same time as Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
949,611
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Jacksonville, FL 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Jacksonville, FL

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 Jacksonville, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Jacksonville, FL?
Jacksonville, FL costs about 52% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Jacksonville, FL?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,730 in Jacksonville, FL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Jacksonville, FL?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Jacksonville, FL?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $102 in Jacksonville, FL. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Jacksonville, FL?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL. That makes Medellin about 34% cheaper.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Medellin or to Jacksonville, FL?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jacksonville, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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