Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Recklinghausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,980 in Recklinghausen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
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Recklinghausen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Recklinghausen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,980 in Recklinghausen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Recklinghausen $1,980

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,932 in Recklinghausen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Recklinghausen $2,932

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,885 in Recklinghausen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Recklinghausen $3,885

Medellin is about 17% cheaper than Recklinghausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Recklinghausen sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Recklinghausen by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$20.39 €18.27

-60.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$83.3 €74.7

-43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$12.20 €10.93

-22.13%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.38 €3.03

-10.95%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.86 €2.57

-37.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.22 €1.99

-36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.54 €4.96

-42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.37 €3.02

70.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.23 €1.10

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.11 €1.89

12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.19 €2.86

-44.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.50 €3.14

-17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$16.68 €14.95

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$11.51 €10.32

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$24.02 €21.53

-41.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.22 €2.88

23.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.01 €1.80

-22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.26 €2.03

-3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$5.06 €4.53

-56.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.36 €1.22

44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.26 €1.13

26.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.80 €1.62

-36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.14 €1.02

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.66 €8.66

-59.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.83 €6.12

100.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.03 €0.92

61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.58 €1.42

43.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$3.66 €3.28

-68.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$65.7 €58.9

17.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.31 €2.97

-61.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.99 €0.89

107.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$33.17 €29.72

-74.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.25 €2.01

-40.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.9K €27.7K

10.38%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$37.8K €33.9K

-8.32%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$374 €335

-54.66%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$34.22 €30.67

-60.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$53.2 €47.66

-47.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$22.44 €20.11

94.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$15.88 €14.23

8.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.75 €9.63

-35.72%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$459 €411

73.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$9,410 €8,432

-3.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$95.1 €85.2

-10.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$33.80 €30.29

71.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$111 €99.6

21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$143 €128

-31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$639 €573

89.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$566 €508

13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$950 €851

113.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$869 €779

16.43%

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

$2,801 €2,510

-76.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.96

176.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6% 11.7% $75

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8% 18.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3% 119% $250

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9% 74% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7% 2% $3.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5% 5.2% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2% 23.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $639 in Recklinghausen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Recklinghausen are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $83 in Recklinghausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $352 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,320

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Recklinghausen 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Recklinghausen

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 Recklinghausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Recklinghausen is pricier by about 21%, 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 $2,970 in Recklinghausen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recklinghausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $639 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $83 in Recklinghausen. 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 $1,980 in Recklinghausen. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,980 in Recklinghausen, 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 $1,980 in Recklinghausen. 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, Recklinghausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.