Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Preston

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,114 in Preston, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Preston

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,114 in Preston, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Preston $2,114

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,021 in Preston, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Preston $3,021

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,928 in Preston, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Preston $3,928

Medellin is about 22% cheaper than Preston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Preston sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Preston by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.89 £11.87

-49.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$74.3 £55.5

-36.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.20 £6.88

3.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.24 £3.17

-29.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.31 £1.72

-22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.83 £1.37

-22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.39 £4.03

-41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.20 £3.89

10.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.49 £1.11

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.43 £1.07

66.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.60 £1.20

10.62%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.59 £2.68

-19.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.30 £3.96

92.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.53 £7.12

3.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.68 £9.47

10.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.59 £1.93

53.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.72 £1.28

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.57 £1.92

-15.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.96 £2.96

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.06 £1.54

-4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.25 £1.68

-29.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.17 £0.88

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.65 £1.23

-24.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$21.56 £16.11

-81.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.14 £6.83

49.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$3.18 £2.37

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.25 £2.43

-30.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$3.92 £2.93

-70.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$98.5 £73.6

-21.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.60 £1.94

-51.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.10 £1.57

-2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.99 £1.48

-32.16%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$37.9K £28.3K

-10.11%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$41.1K £30.7K

-15.72%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$439 £328

-61.36%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$14.86 £11.10

-8.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$43.51 £32.51

-35.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$41.40 £30.93

5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.80 £12.55

2.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$17.83 £13.32

-61.25%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,512 £1,130

-47.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,738 £6,528

4.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$75.7 £56.6

11.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$26.16 £19.54

121.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$65.4 £48.85

106.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$66.4 £49.60

47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$969 £724

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$767 £573

-16.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,608 £1,201

26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,211 £905

-16.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,634 £2,715

14.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,379 £1,777

-19.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,994 £2,237

-78.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.93

121.91%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Preston

$767 36.3% 19.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Preston

$281 13.3% 5.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Preston

$497 23.5% 135% $286

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Preston

$260 12.3% 53% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Preston

$105 5% 37.8% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Preston

$127 6% 36% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Preston

$77 3.6% 34% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $969 in Preston. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Preston are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $74 in Preston. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $281 in Preston – so Preston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Preston

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

114,300

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Preston 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Preston

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 Preston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Preston is pricier by about 29%, 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 $3,172 in Preston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Preston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $969 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $74 in Preston. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,114 in Preston. That makes Medellin about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,114 in Preston, 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $2,114 in Preston. 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, Preston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.