Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,154 in Kriens, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
Learn more

Kriens Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kriens

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $3,154 in Kriens, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Kriens $3,154

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $4,836 in Kriens, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Kriens $4,836

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $6,518 in Kriens, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Kriens $6,518

Medellin is about 46% cheaper than Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Kriens sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Kriens by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$29.66 CHF 24.21

-71.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$106 CHF 86.4

-56.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$18.11 CHF 14.79

-47.71%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$5.92 CHF 4.83

-47.13%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$5.13 CHF 4.19

-65.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$4.78 CHF 3.91

-70.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.05 CHF 4.94

-47.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$7.17 CHF 5.86

-20.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-25.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-37.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.72 CHF 2.22

-28.68%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$7.91 CHF 6.45

-61.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$27.84 CHF 22.73

-64.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$31.26 CHF 25.52

-66.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$41.79 CHF 34.12

-66.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.00 CHF 2.45

35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.80 CHF 1.47

-15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$2.46 CHF 2.01

-14.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-57.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.75 CHF 1.43

20.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.05 CHF 1.67

-16.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.36 CHF 1.11

16.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.91 CHF 8.91

-64.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.20 CHF 8.33

37.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$2.59 CHF 2.11

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.84 CHF 2.32

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$4.51 CHF 3.68

-73.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$87.4 CHF 71.4

-12.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$7.13 CHF 5.82

-74.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$5.94 CHF 4.85

-64.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$36.66 CHF 29.93

-77.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-46.67%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-13.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-12.99%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$124 CHF 101

43.49%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$37.81 CHF 30.87

-63.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$56.9 CHF 46.48

-46.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$73.9 CHF 60.4

-43.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$40.83 CHF 33.34

-58.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$21.90 CHF 17.88

-65.89%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$3,213 CHF 2,623

-75.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$41.4K CHF 33.8K

-70.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$90.1 CHF 73.6

-4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$68.8 CHF 56.2

-13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$110 CHF 89.6

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$172 CHF 140

-42.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,965 CHF 1,604

-31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,428 CHF 1,166

-53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,559 CHF 2,089

-22.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,380 CHF 1,943

-56.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

-69.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$9,706 CHF 7,924

-80.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.9

475.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kriens: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.3% 114% $761

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kriens

$602 19.1% 95.8% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kriens

$219 6.9% 1.7% $3.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kriens

$447 14.2% 159% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kriens

$198 6.3% 15.2% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kriens

$142 4.5% 52.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kriens

$118 3.7% 107% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,965 in Kriens. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $106 in Kriens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $602 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,932

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kriens 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kriens

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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kriens costs about 86% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $4,730 in Kriens. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,965 in Kriens.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $3,213 in Kriens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Kriens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Kriens at $3,154. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kriens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.