Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,064 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mendrisio

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,064 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Mendrisio $3,064

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,796 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Mendrisio $3,796

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,529 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Mendrisio $4,529

Medellin is about 46% cheaper than Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Mendrisio sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Mendrisio by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$34.70 CHF 28.62

-76.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$181 CHF 149

-74.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$19.12 CHF 15.77

-50.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-34.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$5.57 CHF 4.60

-67.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$4.42 CHF 3.64

-68.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$8.25 CHF 6.80

-61.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$7.32 CHF 6.04

-21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.73 CHF 3.08

-36.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.20 CHF 3.46

-57.86%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$7.08 CHF 5.84

-59.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$25.93 CHF 21.39

-60.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$28.45 CHF 23.47

-65.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$39.42 CHF 32.52

-64.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.22 CHF 2.65

23.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.71 CHF 1.41

-9.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$6.44 CHF 5.31

-66.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.85 CHF 1.53

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.48 CHF 2.04

-53.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.23 CHF 1.01

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.71 CHF 8.83

-63.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$14.56 CHF 12.01

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-49.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.05 CHF 3.34

-44.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$3.19 CHF 2.63

-63.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-82.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$5.71 CHF 4.71

-64.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$77.3 CHF 63.7

-88.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-39.73%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-12.20%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$39.1K CHF 32.3K

-11.35%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$305 CHF 251

-44.35%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$25.58 CHF 21.10

-47.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$48.83 CHF 40.28

-42.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$71.3 CHF 58.8

-38.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$20.55 CHF 16.95

-66.37%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$3,250 CHF 2,681

-75.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-75.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$107 CHF 88.5

-21.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$48.74 CHF 40.21

18.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$167 CHF 138

-19.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$171 CHF 141

-42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,410 CHF 1,163

-14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,216 CHF 1,003

-47.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$6,773 CHF 5,587

-90.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.37

361.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.7% 89.6% $575

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mendrisio

$599 19.6% 102% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mendrisio

$379 12.4% 79.5% $168

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mendrisio

$486 15.9% 187% $316

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mendrisio

$222 7.3% 31.6% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mendrisio

$48 * 1.6% 48.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mendrisio

$112 3.7% 95.4% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,410 in Mendrisio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mendrisio are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $181 in Mendrisio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $599 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,562

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mendrisio 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mendrisio

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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendrisio is pricier by about 87%, 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 $4,595 in Mendrisio. 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 $1,410 in Mendrisio.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $181 in Mendrisio. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Mendrisio, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Mendrisio at $3,064. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendrisio 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.

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