Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kos

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,506 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,506 in Kos.

Medellin $1,639
Kos $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,265 in Kos.

Medellin $2,413
Kos $2,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,024 in Kos.

Medellin $3,186
Kos $3,024

Living in Medellin is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Kos 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$13.93 €12.48

-41.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$66.4 €59.5

-29.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.25 €10.08

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$4.01 €3.60

-24.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$3.09 €2.77

-41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.11 €0.99

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$4.34 €3.89

-26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$6.53 €5.85

-11.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.42 €2.17

-37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.62 €1.45

46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.61 €2.34

-32.18%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$4.61 €4.13

-37.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$13.08 €11.72

-22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.17 €9.11

-2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$15.05 €13.49

-7.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.20 €1.97

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.00 €1.80

-22.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.36 €1.22

60.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$2.04 €1.83

6.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.13 €1.01

73.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.14 €1.02

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.09 €0.98

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.84 €0.76

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.39 €4.83

-26.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$6.76 €6.06

102.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.01 €1.81

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.56 €2.29

-11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.83 €1.64

-36.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$49.85 €44.67

55.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$4.09 €3.67

-68.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.13 €1.02

81.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$16.47 €14.76

-48.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$2.09 €1.88

-35.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$28.0K €25.1K

21.84%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$25.1K €22.5K

38.07%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$201 €181

-15.79%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$22.92 €20.54

-40.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$34.73 €31.12

-19.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$50.6 €45.37

-13.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$28.52 €25.55

-39.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$8.80 €7.88

-21.48%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$417 €374

91.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$9,025 €8,087

0.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$89.0 €79.7

-4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$40.15 €35.98

44.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$92.5 €82.9

45.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$123 €110

-20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$610 €547

97.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$420 €376

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$715 €641

183.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$587 €526

72.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,594 €2,324

60.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,012 €1,803

-5.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$902 €808

-27.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.48

144.20%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kos

$420 27.9% 34.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kos

$292 19.4% 1.7% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kos

$259 17.2% 22.6% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kos

$245 16.3% 44.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kos

$155 10.3% 8.4% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kos

$67 4.4% 28.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kos

$68 4.5% 18.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $610 in Kos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $66 in Kos. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $292, with Kos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇷 Kos

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

03:01 3:01 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

30,947

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kos 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kos

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 Kos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kos wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $610 in Kos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $417 in Kos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $66 in Kos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.