Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Noord

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,559 in Noord, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Noord

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Noord

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,559 in Noord, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Noord $2,559

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,101 in Noord, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Noord $4,101

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,644 in Noord, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Noord $5,644

Medellin is about 36% cheaper than Noord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Noord sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Noord by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$25.43 AWG 45.50

-68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$96.3 AWG 172

-51.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$15.14 AWG 27.09

-37.25%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.98 AWG 5.34

1.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.45 AWG 4.39

-26.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.71 AWG 3.06

-17.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.60 AWG 13.59

-58.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$8.41 AWG 15.05

-31.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.91 AWG 3.42

-20.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.93 AWG 5.24

-18.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.80 AWG 5.01

-36.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$6.28 AWG 11.24

-53.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.60 AWG 22.55

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.38 AWG 16.79

5.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.10 AWG 21.66

15.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.64 AWG 8.31

-14.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.29 AWG 4.10

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$4.93 AWG 8.82

-55.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.45 AWG 6.17

-36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.22 AWG 3.97

-11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.99 AWG 3.55

-20.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.67 AWG 4.78

-56.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.51 AWG 2.70

-17.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.11 AWG 18.10

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.97 AWG 17.84

37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$5.76 AWG 10.31

-71.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$4.50 AWG 8.05

-49.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.87 AWG 5.13

-52.96%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$198 AWG 354

-14.16%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$69.3 AWG 124

-80.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$99.1 AWG 177

-71.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,473 AWG 2,636

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,460 AWG 2,612

-56.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,136 AWG 5,611

-35.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,146 AWG 5,630

-67.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Noord: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Noord

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Noord

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Noord

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Noord

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Noord

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Noord

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Noord

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,473 in Noord. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $96 in Noord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $377 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇼 Noord

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

24,193

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Noord 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Noord

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 Noord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Noord is pricier by about 56%, 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 $3,838 in Noord. 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 $1,473 in Noord.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Noord, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $96 in Noord. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Noord at $2,559. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noord it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,559 in Noord. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.