Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kalmar

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kalmar $3,837

Medellin is about 16% cheaper than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Kalmar sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Kalmar by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$15.36 SEK 152

-47.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$71.1 SEK 703

-33.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$10.47 SEK 104

-9.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$4.67 SEK 46.20

-35.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,688

$2.81 SEK 27.82

-35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$2.55 SEK 25.22

-44.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$9.69 SEK 95.8

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$7.25 SEK 71.7

-20.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$1.48 SEK 14.58

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$3.01 SEK 29.80

-20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

$3.07 SEK 30.37

-42.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$4.65 SEK 46.00

-37.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$16.58 SEK 164

-38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.89 SEK 108

-9.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$22.80 SEK 225

-38.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.49 SEK 24.59

59.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$2.77 SEK 27.34

-44.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

$3.57 SEK 35.29

-38.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$4.46 SEK 44.11

-51.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

$1.67 SEK 16.54

17.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$2.27 SEK 22.46

-29.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$1.93 SEK 19.04

-40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

$1.67 SEK 16.53

-25.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$7.79 SEK 77.0

-49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$9.14 SEK 90.3

49.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

$1.93 SEK 19.10

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$2.54 SEK 25.15

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

$3.21 SEK 31.74

-63.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

$78.4 SEK 775

-1.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

$10.03 SEK 99.2

-87.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$1.72 SEK 17.02

19.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$47.45 SEK 469

-81.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.71 SEK 16.86

-21.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

12.90%

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

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

18.22%

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

$170 COP 536.4K

$144 SEK 1,428

17.47%

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

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$27.58 SEK 273

-50.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$32.34 SEK 320

-13.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

$30.33 SEK 300

44.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

$26.38 SEK 261

-34.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$14.58 SEK 144

-52.61%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$142 SEK 1,399

462.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

82.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

$49.41 SEK 488

71.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

$44.31 SEK 438

30.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

$79.2 SEK 783

70.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

$100 SEK 990

-2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$908 SEK 8,977

33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$778 SEK 7,687

-17.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

52.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

-9.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

2.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

-30.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

-77.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.93

178.37%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 21.2% $136

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 29.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 3.3% $6.9

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 73.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 27.3% $46

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 3.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $908 in Kalmar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kalmar are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $71 in Kalmar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $384 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,170

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.88 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.03 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kalmar 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kalmar

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 Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,953 in Kalmar – Medellin comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $908 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,953 in Kalmar. That makes Medellin about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,953 in Kalmar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,953 in Kalmar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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