Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Olten

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Olten $6,576

Medellin is about 47% cheaper than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-74.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$122 CHF 100

-61.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-47.77%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-51.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-67.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-73.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-28.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-38.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-55.38%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-64.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-60.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-63.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-70.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$4.02 CHF 3.31

2.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-43.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-25.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-51.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-20.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-21.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-53.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-64.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-76.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$107 CHF 88.3

-27.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-84.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-52.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-90.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-37.50%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-12.10%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-11.74%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$275 CHF 227

-39.48%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-58.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-38.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-43.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-66.83%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-78.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-78.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$143 CHF 118

-38.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-1.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$167 CHF 137

-16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$210 CHF 173

-53.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,210 CHF 997

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,035 CHF 852

-40.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,968 CHF 1,621

-4.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-48.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-88.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.07

428.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Olten

$1K 34% 67.1% $415

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Olten

$617 20.3% 107% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Olten

$356 11.7% 69.9% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Olten

$261 8.6% 50.9% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Olten

$498 16.3% 192% $327

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Olten

$160 5.2% 67.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Olten

$122 4% 107% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,210 in Olten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 780% higher in Olten, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $617 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

16:18 4:18 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,280

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Olten 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Olten is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $4,573 in Olten. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $122 in Olten. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $3,049 in Olten. That's a gap of about 88%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Olten at $3,049. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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