Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kiruna

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,742 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Kiruna despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kiruna

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,742 in Kiruna, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kiruna $1,742

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,892 in Kiruna, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kiruna $2,892

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,043 in Kiruna, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kiruna $4,043

Medellin is about 6% cheaper than Kiruna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Kiruna sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Kiruna by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.69 SEK 136

-40.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$127 SEK 1,261

-62.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.03 SEK 99.8

-5.28%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.51 SEK 44.91

-33.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.59 SEK 25.77

-30.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.24 SEK 22.25

-37.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$9.79 SEK 97.5

-67.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.39 SEK 63.6

-10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.71 SEK 17.03

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.75 SEK 27.36

-13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.41 SEK 33.93

-48.09%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.05 SEK 40.27

-28.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.35 SEK 123

-17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.00 SEK 119

-17.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.56 SEK 175

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.08 SEK 30.65

28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.52 SEK 25.08

-38.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.92 SEK 29.07

-25.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.32 SEK 43.00

-49.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.54 SEK 15.34

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.62 SEK 16.08

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.30 SEK 22.93

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.45 SEK 14.43

-14.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$7.03 SEK 70.0

-43.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$9.89 SEK 98.4

38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$2.00 SEK 19.94

-17.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.29 SEK 22.78

-1.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$3.25 SEK 32.34

-64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$78.8 SEK 784

-1.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.98 SEK 59.5

-78.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.73 SEK 17.17

18.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$59.5 SEK 592

-85.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.20 SEK 21.90

-38.64%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$33.5K SEK 333.6K

1.63%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.9K SEK 327.9K

5.23%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$103 SEK 1,029

64.12%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$25.42 SEK 253

-46.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$40.39 SEK 402

-30.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$38.00 SEK 378

15.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$25.84 SEK 257

-33.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$16.00 SEK 159

-56.81%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$160 SEK 1,595

396.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,005 SEK 49.8K

82.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$96.9 SEK 964

-12.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.55 SEK 394

46.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$91.1 SEK 907

48.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$144 SEK 1,430

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$818 SEK 8,144

47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$598 SEK 5,946

7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,347 SEK 13.4K

50.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,092 SEK 10.9K

-7.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,058 SEK 40.4K

2.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,839 SEK 28.3K

-32.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,257 SEK 32.4K

-79.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

173.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kiruna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kiruna

$598 34.3% 6.9% $44

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kiruna

$357 20.5% 20.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kiruna

$169 9.7% 19.9% $42

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kiruna

$275 15.8% 62% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kiruna

$167 9.6% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kiruna

$106 6.1% 13.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kiruna

$70 4% 21.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $818 in Kiruna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kiruna are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $127 in Kiruna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $357 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,454

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kiruna 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kiruna

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 Kiruna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,742 in Kiruna – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,613 in Kiruna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kiruna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $818 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,742 in Kiruna. That’s a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $160 in Kiruna. 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 $1,742 in Kiruna, 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 $1,742 in Kiruna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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