Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Manchester

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Manchester $4,747

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Manchester sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$20.22 £15.08

-59.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$86.0 £64.1

-45.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.74 £8.01

-11.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$4.68 £3.49

-35.68%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.44 £1.82

-26.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.62 £1.21

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.78 £5.80

-59.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.70 £5.00

-14.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.51 £1.12

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.88 £1.40

26.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.94 £1.45

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.08 £3.04

-29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.61 £7.16

6.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.98 £6.70

9.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.41 £11.49

-9.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.09 £2.30

28.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.58 £1.18

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.95 £2.20

-26.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.35 £2.50

-34.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.51 £1.13

29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.35 £1.00

17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.26 £0.94

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.23 £0.92

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$24.05 £17.93

-83.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.88 £8.12

25.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.43 £1.81

-31.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.17 £2.36

-28.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.73 £2.04

-57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$108 £80.4

-28.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.52 £3.37

-71.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.22 £1.65

-7.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$30.82 £22.98

-72.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$2.14 £1.59

-36.92%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$38.5K £28.7K

-11.43%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$40.0K £29.9K

-13.43%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$252 £188

-32.80%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$16.23 £12.10

-16.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$39.58 £29.51

-29.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$42.67 £31.81

2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$18.05 £13.46

-4.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.44 £10.02

-48.59%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,494 £1,114

-46.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$19.7K £14.7K

-53.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$83.5 £62.3

1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$42.97 £32.04

34.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$95.0 £70.8

42.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$106 £79.0

-7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,785 £1,331

-32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,222 £911

-47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,930 £2,185

-30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,899 £1,416

-46.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,668 £3,480

-10.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,397 £3,278

-56.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,395 £2,531

-80.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.82

126.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 90.5% $581

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Manchester

$299 12% 0.6% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 45.9% $97

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 87.9% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 12.8% $22

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 43.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 20.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,785 in Manchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manchester are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $299 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

503,100

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Manchester 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Manchester

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 Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,749 in Manchester. 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 $1,208 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,499 in Manchester. That makes Medellin about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $1,494 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,499 in Manchester. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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