Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sandvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,692 in Sandvika, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandvika
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Sandvika Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sandvika

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sandvika

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,692 in Sandvika, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sandvika $2,692

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,138 in Sandvika, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sandvika $4,138

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,584 in Sandvika, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sandvika $5,584

Medellin is about 39% cheaper than Sandvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Sandvika sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sandvika by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$17.04 NOK 158

-52.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$99.0 NOK 919

-52.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$21.69 NOK 201

-56.20%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.21 NOK 39.11

-28.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.95 NOK 27.44

-38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.40 NOK 22.26

-41.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$8.41 NOK 78.1

-62.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$10.90 NOK 101

-47.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.46 NOK 22.85

-38.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.63 NOK 33.76

-34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.02 NOK 37.31

-55.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.93 NOK 45.78

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.47 NOK 125

-24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$27.98 NOK 260

-64.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$25.31 NOK 235

-44.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.41 NOK 31.69

16.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.65 NOK 24.61

-41.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.66 NOK 34.04

-40.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.84 NOK 45.01

-54.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.62 NOK 24.34

-25.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.31 NOK 30.76

-51.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.47 NOK 22.97

-53.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.63 NOK 15.15

-23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$15.95 NOK 148

-75.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$19.24 NOK 179

-28.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.85 NOK 35.74

-56.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$5.51 NOK 51.2

-58.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$4.13 NOK 38.41

-71.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$87.6 NOK 814

-11.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$8.53 NOK 79.3

-85.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.63 NOK 15.18

25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$55.3 NOK 514

-84.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.44 NOK 22.65

-44.67%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.7K NOK 415.7K

-23.87%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$45.0K NOK 417.9K

-22.92%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$273 NOK 2,537

-37.87%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$31.94 NOK 297

-57.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$68.3 NOK 634

-58.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$66.3 NOK 616

-34.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$37.40 NOK 348

-54.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$21.25 NOK 197

-67.48%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$307 NOK 2,854

159.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$13.1K NOK 121.5K

-30.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$148 NOK 1,372

-42.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$64.8 NOK 602

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$134 NOK 1,242

0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$211 NOK 1,956

-53.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,244 NOK 11.6K

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$964 NOK 8,957

-33.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,119 NOK 19.7K

-4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,722 NOK 16.0K

-41.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$8,508 NOK 79.0K

-50.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,631 NOK 43.0K

-58.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,470 NOK 50.8K

-87.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.03

117.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandvika: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sandvika

$964 35.8% 50.3% $323

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sandvika

$537 20% 81% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sandvika

$373 13.9% 76.7% $162

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sandvika

$337 12.5% 98.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sandvika

$251 9.3% 48.3% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sandvika

$121 4.5% 29.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sandvika

$109 4% 89% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,244 in Sandvika. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sandvika are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $99 in Sandvika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $537 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Sandvika

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

129,572

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sandvika 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sandvika

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 Sandvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sandvika is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,038 in Sandvika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,244 in Sandvika. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $99 in Sandvika. 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 $2,692 in Sandvika. That makes Medellin about 39% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Sandvika at $2,692. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sandvika 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 $2,692 in Sandvika. 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, Sandvika makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.