Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shelby, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,104 in Shelby, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Shelby, NC
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Shelby, NC Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Shelby, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shelby, NC

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,104 in Shelby, NC, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Shelby, NC $2,104

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,929 in Shelby, NC, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Shelby, NC $2,929

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,754 in Shelby, NC, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Shelby, NC $3,754

Medellin is about 23% cheaper than Shelby, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$14.23 $14.23

-41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$34.86 $34.86

34.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.08 $9.08

1.76%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$5.38 $5.38

-43.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.53 $1.53

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.26 $1.26

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.57 $2.57

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.95 $2.95

88.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.81 $0.81

85.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$3.27 $3.27

-27.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$9.60 $9.60

-82.29%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$5.11 $5.11

-42.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$18.19 $18.19

-43.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$13.49 $13.49

-27.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$26.71 $26.71

-47.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$7.70 $7.70

-46.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.99 $2.99

-48.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$6.91 $6.91

-67.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$7.34 $7.34

-69.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$4.75 $4.75

-58.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$6.03 $6.03

-72.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.86 $2.86

-58.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$3.56 $3.56

-65.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$8.57 $8.57

-54.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$14.83 $14.83

-7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.63 $1.63

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$4.45 $4.45

-46.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.12 $2.12

-41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$6.80 $6.80

-81.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.35 $2.35

-8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$15.21 $15.21

-44.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.99 $0.99

36.36%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$24.3K $24.3K

43.20%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$22.3K $22.3K

55.26%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$175 $175

-4.90%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$35.60 $35.60

-61.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$49.16 $49.16

-40.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$45.26 $45.26

-0.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$12.03 $12.03

-42.06%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$294 $294

168.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.0K $10.0K

-9.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$39.50 $39.50

122.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$31.85 $31.85

82.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$70.0 $70.0

98.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$79.1 $79.1

24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$827 $827

24.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$863 $863

-28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,234 $1,234

52.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,113 $1,113

-9.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,887 $1,887

111.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,873 $1,873

-9.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$2,497 $2,497

-73.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.38

71.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shelby, NC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Shelby, NC

$863 41% 39.4% $244

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Shelby, NC

$550 26.1% 84.5% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Shelby, NC

$260 12.4% 24.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Shelby, NC

$99 4.7% 42.6% $74

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Shelby, NC

$236 11.2% 37.9% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Shelby, NC

$27 * 1.3% 71.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Shelby, NC

$69 3.3% 17.4% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $827 in Shelby, NC. 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 276% higher in Shelby, NC, 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 $35.00 in Shelby, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $550 in Shelby, NC – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Shelby, NC

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,378

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Shelby, NC 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shelby, NC

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 Shelby, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shelby, NC is pricier by about 30%, 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 $3,156 in Shelby, NC. 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 $35.00 in Shelby, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Shelby, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Shelby, NC at $2,104. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shelby, NC 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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shelby, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.