Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sala

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,555 in Sala, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sala $1,555

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,301 in Sala, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sala $2,301

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,046 in Sala, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sala $3,046

Medellin costs about 5% more than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Sala sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sala by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.16 SEK 119

-33.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$60.1 SEK 590

-21.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.87 SEK 97.0

-3.75%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.04 SEK 29.86

-0.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.74 SEK 17.06

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.24 SEK 21.98

-37.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.19 SEK 70.6

-55.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.24 SEK 71.1

-20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.72 SEK 16.90

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.57 SEK 25.27

-7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.42 SEK 33.63

-48.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-45.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.30 SEK 111

-9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$12.99 SEK 128

-24.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$22.54 SEK 221

-37.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.90 SEK 28.45

36.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.67 SEK 26.23

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.68 SEK 26.34

-18.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.59 SEK 45.08

-52.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.45 SEK 14.22

35.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.13 SEK 11.11

40.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.53 SEK 24.83

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.03 SEK 10.15

20.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-43.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.01 SEK 59.1

127.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.01 SEK 19.71

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.76 SEK 17.32

28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.98 SEK 29.27

-60.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$20.73 SEK 204

273.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.86 SEK 57.5

-78.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.78 SEK 17.49

15.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$81.0 SEK 796

-89.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.70 SEK 16.71

-20.59%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

0.53%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

3.10%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$178 SEK 1,743

-4.43%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$19.84 SEK 195

-31.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$39.07 SEK 384

-28.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$45.69 SEK 449

-4.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$19.95 SEK 196

-13.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$16.33 SEK 160

-57.69%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$221 SEK 2,165

261.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

647.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$44.53 SEK 437

90.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$34.85 SEK 342

66.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$52.4 SEK 515

157.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$55.0 SEK 540

77.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$716 SEK 7,032

68.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$516 SEK 5,069

24.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$921 SEK 9,041

120.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$713 SEK 7,006

41.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

4.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

-31.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

-72.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.8

290.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sala

$516 33.2% 19.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sala

$363 23.4% 22.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sala

$236 15.2% 11.9% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sala

$230 14.8% 35.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sala

$84 5.4% 50.3% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sala

$47 3.1% 49.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sala

$78 5% 36.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $716 in Sala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sala are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $60 in Sala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $363 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sala 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,333 in Sala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $60 in Sala. 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 $1,555 in Sala. That makes Sala about 5% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,555 in Sala. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.