Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,143 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mortsel

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,143 in Mortsel, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Mortsel $2,143

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,169 in Mortsel, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Mortsel $3,169

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,196 in Mortsel, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Mortsel $4,196

Medellin is about 21% cheaper than Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Mortsel sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Mortsel by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$22.46 €20.06

-62.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$94.6 €84.5

-50.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$13.54 €12.09

-30.06%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.33 €3.86

-27.71%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$3.41 €3.04

-48.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$2.91 €2.60

-51.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$5.49 €4.91

-42.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.48 €4.89

4.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.38 €1.23

10.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$2.72 €2.43

-15.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$2.23 €1.99

-13.00%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$4.01 €3.58

-23.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$16.18 €14.45

-38.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.72 €10.47

-10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$22.85 €20.41

-38.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.84 €2.54

42.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$2.40 €2.15

-36.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$2.59 €2.31

-18.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$2.80 €2.50

-18.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$2.19 €1.96

-3.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$1.81 €1.62

-5.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$1.30 €1.16

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$1.04 €0.93

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$13.34 €11.91

-70.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$8.80 €7.86

59.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.91 €1.71

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$2.20 €1.96

23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$3.12 €2.79

-62.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

$53.8 €48.09

41.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$5.62 €5.02

-67.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$2.65 €2.37

-19.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$44.46 €39.72

-81.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$2.12 €1.89

-39.62%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$35.5K €31.7K

-3.02%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$36.7K €32.8K

-7.12%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$221 €197

-19.43%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$21.09 €18.84

-34.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$48.16 €43.02

-36.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$37.01 €33.06

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$19.53 €17.44

-13.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$15.68 €14.00

-52.36%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$556 €496

42.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$21.3K €19.0K

-42.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$114 €102

-24.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$47.16 €42.12

25.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$106 €94.6

30.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$148 €132

-33.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$911 €814

47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$822 €735

-18.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,375 €1,228

43.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,148 €1,025

-10.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,226 €3,774

-3.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,884 €2,576

-32.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,364 €2,112

-72.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.5

212.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Mortsel

$822 38.4% 23.3% $155

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Mortsel

$354 16.5% 15.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Mortsel

$290 13.5% 30.4% $68

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Mortsel

$336 15.7% 94.6% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Mortsel

$187 8.7% 8.5% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Mortsel

$85 4% 8.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Mortsel

$68 3.2% 20.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $911 in Mortsel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mortsel are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $95 in Mortsel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $354 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

15:01 3:01 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

24,525

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mortsel 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,214 in Mortsel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mortsel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $911 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $95 in Mortsel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,143 in Mortsel. That makes Medellin about 21% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $2,143 in Mortsel, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,143 in Mortsel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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