Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,125 in Schaffhausen, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Schaffhausen

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $3,125 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Schaffhausen $3,125

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $5,038 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Schaffhausen $5,038

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $6,951 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Schaffhausen $6,951

Medellin is about 48% cheaper than Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Schaffhausen sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Schaffhausen by 131%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$29.70 CHF 24.46

-72.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$123 CHF 101

-61.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$18.03 CHF 14.85

-48.75%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$5.64 CHF 4.65

-45.92%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-67.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-71.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$8.22 CHF 6.77

-60.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$7.47 CHF 6.16

-25.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$4.06 CHF 3.35

-41.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$4.12 CHF 3.40

-58.74%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$7.94 CHF 6.54

-62.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$28.10 CHF 23.14

-63.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$30.57 CHF 25.18

-68.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$42.49 CHF 34.99

-67.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.85 CHF 3.17

7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.21 CHF 2.65

-30.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$5.54 CHF 4.57

-59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.41 CHF 1.98

-17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-21.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.37 CHF 1.96

-50.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.18 CHF 0.97

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$10.75 CHF 8.85

-64.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.87 CHF 10.60

7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.91 CHF 2.40

-42.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.84 CHF 3.16

-37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$4.04 CHF 3.33

-69.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$96.6 CHF 79.5

-19.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$6.02 CHF 4.95

-78.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$3.72 CHF 3.07

-42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$61.4 CHF 50.5

-86.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-41.30%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$43.0K CHF 35.4K

-19.16%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-12.39%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$234 CHF 193

-28.77%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$31.93 CHF 26.30

-57.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$62.9 CHF 51.8

-53.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$107 CHF 88.5

-58.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$47.27 CHF 38.93

-63.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$23.65 CHF 19.48

-70.53%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$3,112 CHF 2,563

-74.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$32.1K CHF 26.5K

-71.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$167 CHF 137

-47.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$54.3 CHF 44.73

7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$190 CHF 156

-26.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$149 CHF 122

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,285 CHF 1,058

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,165 CHF 960

-46.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,705 CHF 2,228

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$2,362 CHF 1,946

-57.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$8,026 CHF 6,610

-50.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$8,459 CHF 6,967

-79.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$7,212 CHF 5,940

-90.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.48

341.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 37.3% 88.1% $546

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Schaffhausen

$630 20.2% 112% $332

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Schaffhausen

$329 10.5% 57% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Schaffhausen

$252 8.1% 45.7% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Schaffhausen

$457 14.6% 167% $286

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Schaffhausen

$137 4.4% 44.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Schaffhausen

$155 5% 162% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,285 in Schaffhausen. 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 987% higher in Schaffhausen, 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 $123 in Schaffhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $630 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,927

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Schaffhausen 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Schaffhausen

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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Schaffhausen is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $4,687 in Schaffhausen. 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 $123 in Schaffhausen. 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 $3,125 in Schaffhausen. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Schaffhausen at $3,125. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Schaffhausen 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, Schaffhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.