Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,284 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sion

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,284 in Sion, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sion $3,284

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,915 in Sion, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sion $4,915

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,546 in Sion, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sion $6,546

Medellin is about 50% cheaper than Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Sion sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sion by 141%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$29.93 CHF 24.83

-72.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$90.2 CHF 74.8

-47.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$19.21 CHF 15.94

-50.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-35.41%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$5.39 CHF 4.47

-66.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-66.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.32 CHF 6.08

-56.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$7.40 CHF 6.14

-22.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.02 CHF 1.68

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.71 CHF 3.08

-35.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.02 CHF 3.33

-55.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$7.23 CHF 5.99

-60.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$25.77 CHF 21.38

-60.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$22.80 CHF 18.91

-56.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$39.58 CHF 32.83

-64.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.28 CHF 2.72

21.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.54 CHF 2.11

-14.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-65.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.81 CHF 1.50

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.15 CHF 1.79

-26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.17 CHF 0.97

5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.96 CHF 9.10

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$14.59 CHF 12.10

-6.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.79 CHF 1.49

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.88 CHF 1.56

20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$5.17 CHF 4.29

-77.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$179 CHF 148

-56.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.93 CHF 4.92

-78.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$5.39 CHF 4.47

-61.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$49.11 CHF 40.74

-82.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-41.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-13.57%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$37.6K CHF 31.2K

-7.76%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$309 CHF 256

-45.13%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$25.35 CHF 21.03

-46.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$48.26 CHF 40.03

-41.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$137 CHF 114

-68.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$55.4 CHF 45.98

-68.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$20.33 CHF 16.87

-66.01%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$974 CHF 808

-18.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$38.2K CHF 31.7K

-76.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$110 CHF 91.5

-23.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$49.30 CHF 40.90

17.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$165 CHF 137

-18.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$172 CHF 143

-43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,231 CHF 1,021

-1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,269 CHF 1,053

-49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,091 CHF 1,734

-51.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$7,526 CHF 6,244

-44.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,552 CHF 4,606

-65.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,816 CHF 4,825

-88.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.15

408.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 97.8% $627

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sion

$556 16.9% 87.3% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sion

$383 11.7% 81.2% $172

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sion

$443 13.5% 161% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sion

$224 6.8% 32.4% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sion

$232 7.1% 148% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sion

$178 5.4% 209% $120

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,231 in Sion. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sion are about 8.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $90 in Sion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $556 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

34,599

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sion 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sion is pricier by about 100%, 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 $4,926 in Sion. 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 $1,231 in Sion. 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 $90 in Sion. 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 $3,284 in Sion. That makes Medellin about 50% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Sion at $3,284. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sion 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 $3,284 in Sion. 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, Sion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.