Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jerusalem

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,912 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jerusalem

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $2,912 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Jerusalem $2,912

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $4,212 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Jerusalem $4,212

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $5,511 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Jerusalem $5,511

Medellin is about 45% cheaper than Jerusalem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Jerusalem sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Jerusalem by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$22.96 ₪70.2

-65.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$99.9 ₪305

-53.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$19.75 ₪60.4

-52.25%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$4.86 ₪14.85

-40.12%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$3.59 ₪10.98

-51.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$2.79 ₪8.52

-52.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$7.97 ₪24.37

-60.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$10.33 ₪31.58

-46.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$2.43 ₪7.42

-41.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$3.43 ₪10.48

-28.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$3.65 ₪11.17

-55.34%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$4.75 ₪14.51

-40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$17.11 ₪52.3

-43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$14.45 ₪44.17

-35.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$35.71 ₪109

-62.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$4.29 ₪13.10

-6.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$3.37 ₪10.31

-56.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$2.72 ₪8.31

-22.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$2.40 ₪7.35

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$1.88 ₪5.76

1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$1.65 ₪5.04

-1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.99 ₪6.09

-42.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$1.90 ₪5.82

-33.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$13.83 ₪42.28

-72.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$15.54 ₪47.49

-15.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$4.63 ₪14.14

-65.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$4.25 ₪12.99

-46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.58 ₪7.88

-54.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$71.0 ₪217

5.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$3.99 ₪12.20

-68.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$1.27 ₪3.87

61.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$25.46 ₪77.8

-67.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$2.69 ₪8.24

-52.79%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$58.2K ₪177.8K

-53.97%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$59.1K ₪180.6K

-41.77%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$291 ₪888

-44.18%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$12.40 ₪37.89

5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$41.33 ₪126

-32.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$74.3 ₪227

-40.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$17.77 ₪54.3

-8.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$14.65 ₪44.79

-58.43%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$1,395 ₪4,264

-45.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$28.5K ₪87.2K

-68.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$118 ₪360

-27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$77.0 ₪235

-25.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$153 ₪466

-13.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$162 ₪496

-40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,907 ₪5,828

-46.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$1,262 ₪3,857

-52.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$3,720 ₪11.4K

-51.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,913 ₪5,846

-48.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$20.0K ₪61.1K

-80.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$9,134 ₪27.9K

-82.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$3,777 ₪11.5K

-83.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.99

119.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Jerusalem: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Jerusalem

$1.3K 43.4% 109% $657

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Jerusalem

$490 16.9% 69.8% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Jerusalem

$344 11.8% 69.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Jerusalem

$229 7.9% 37.7% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Jerusalem

$387 13.3% 133% $221

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Jerusalem

$92 3.2% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Jerusalem

$104 3.6% 83.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,907 in Jerusalem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 503% higher in Jerusalem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $100 in Jerusalem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $490 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

882,652 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.292 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.292 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jerusalem 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jerusalem

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 Jerusalem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Medellin, $2,912 in Jerusalem – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $4,368 in Jerusalem. 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 $100 in Jerusalem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $2,912 in Jerusalem. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Jerusalem at $2,912. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jerusalem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Medellin to $2,912 in Jerusalem. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Jerusalem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.