Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Malmo

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $2,046 in Malmo, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Malmo $2,046

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $3,083 in Malmo, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Malmo $3,083

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $4,121 in Malmo, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Malmo $4,121

Medellin is about 22% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Malmo sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Malmo by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$14.90 SEK 149

-46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$74.0 SEK 740

-37.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$12.18 SEK 122

-22.58%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-39.75%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-63.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-50.90%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-31.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$12.74 SEK 127

-23.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$11.86 SEK 119

-21.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$21.61 SEK 216

-37.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.99 SEK 29.93

33.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-42.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-28.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.66 SEK 16.62

15.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.53 SEK 15.29

5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-53.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.23 SEK 12.24

2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$11.53 SEK 115

13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.01 SEK 20.05

-20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.34 SEK 23.43

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$63.5 SEK 635

18.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-78.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-14.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$49.13 SEK 491

-83.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-27.01%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

-17.04%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

3.73%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$138 SEK 1,380

17.43%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$26.21 SEK 262

-49.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$36.07 SEK 361

-22.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$39.93 SEK 399

11.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$28.69 SEK 287

-43.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$17.17 SEK 172

-64.53%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$167 SEK 1,666

358.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

168.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$98.0 SEK 979

-13.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$44.19 SEK 442

30.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$113 SEK 1,125

17.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$152 SEK 1,520

-37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$818 SEK 8,173

-26.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

4.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-26.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

-2.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

-48.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-79.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.05

258.69%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 35.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 28.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 1.5% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Malmo

$183 9% 10% $17

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 79.4% $132

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 3.2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 31.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,063 in Malmo. 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 386% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $372 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

316,588

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Malmo 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $3,069 in Malmo. 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.

Kindergarten costs $764 per month in Medellin and $167 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Malmo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,589 versus $2,046 in Malmo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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