Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
New York, NY $9,641

Medellin is about 66% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and New York, NY sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$26.93 $26.93

-69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$117 $117

-60.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$14.60 $14.60

-35.14%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$6.54 $6.54

-52.14%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$3.86 $3.86

-54.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$2.95 $2.95

-51.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$8.08 $8.08

-61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$9.85 $9.85

-42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.31 $1.31

16.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$4.97 $4.97

-53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$7.70 $7.70

-74.81%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$6.09 $6.09

-49.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$19.55 $19.55

-48.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$17.59 $17.59

-40.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$20.26 $20.26

-31.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.99 $6.99

-42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$2.21 $2.21

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$6.72 $6.72

-68.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$7.12 $7.12

-67.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$4.61 $4.61

-54.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$4.78 $4.78

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$2.87 $2.87

-59.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$2.69 $2.69

-41.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$19.14 $19.14

-79.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$19.63 $19.63

-28.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$3.32 $3.32

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$4.19 $4.19

-35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$3.02 $3.02

-60.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$139 $139

-45.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$3.04 $3.04

-40.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$2.20 $2.20

-3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$41.33 $41.33

-80.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.13 $1.13

13.27%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$34.5K $34.5K

-0.05%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.8K $25.8K

32.05%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$232 $232

-23.51%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$71.0 $71.0

-80.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$67.7 $67.7

-54.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$115 $115

-63.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$76.8 $76.8

-78.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$22.41 $22.41

-66.67%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$3,606 $3,606

-78.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$68.7K $68.7K

-82.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$79.3 $79.3

8.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$51.4 $51.4

15.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$121 $121

14.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$140 $140

-29.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$4,555 $4,555

-70.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$3,040 $3,040

-78.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$9,742 $9,742

-79.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$5,331 $5,331

-80.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$18.2K $18.2K

-77.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$6,685 $6,685

-70.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$5,096 $5,096

-87.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.89

58.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 356% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 84.6% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 66.9% $149

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 146% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 2.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 77% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 182% $103

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $567 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin New York, NY 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 190%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $7,358 in New York, NY. 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 $4,555 in New York, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $117 in New York, NY. 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 $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Medellin about 66% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY 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, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.