Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,791 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Skovde despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
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Skovde Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Skovde

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,791 in Skovde, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Skovde $1,791

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,796 in Skovde, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Skovde $2,796

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,801 in Skovde, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Skovde $3,801

Medellin is about 9% cheaper than Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Skovde sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Skovde by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$13.15 SEK 130

-36.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$82.2 SEK 814

-42.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.25 SEK 102

-9.85%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.14 SEK 41.06

-26.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$3.04 SEK 30.12

-40.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.33 SEK 23.09

-40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$8.12 SEK 80.5

-60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$10.05 SEK 99.6

-44.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.40 SEK 13.84

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.86 SEK 28.30

-17.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$4.59 SEK 45.50

-62.96%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.58 SEK 35.49

-17.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.08 SEK 99.9

1.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$12.86 SEK 127

-24.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$17.98 SEK 178

-22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$4.13 SEK 40.94

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.67 SEK 26.48

-42.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.66 SEK 36.23

-39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$5.17 SEK 51.2

-56.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.52 SEK 15.10

30.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.76 SEK 17.44

-5.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-55.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.33 SEK 13.17

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$8.00 SEK 79.3

-51.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.20 SEK 81.2

68.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.42 SEK 23.95

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.62 SEK 25.93

-8.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$3.61 SEK 35.73

-65.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$84.5 SEK 838

-7.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$5.55 SEK 55.0

-76.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.29 SEK 12.76

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$62.5 SEK 620

-86.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-23.73%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

5.06%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$33.6K SEK 332.6K

3.33%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$113 SEK 1,122

47.13%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.00 SEK 109

23.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$47.37 SEK 469

-38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$38.41 SEK 381

17.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$27.31 SEK 271

-37.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$18.25 SEK 181

-61.81%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$129 SEK 1,274

514.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,654 SEK 46.1K

94.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$107 SEK 1,065

-18.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$30.76 SEK 305

89.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$61.6 SEK 611

125.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$205 SEK 2,032

-51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$793 SEK 7,853

29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$615 SEK 6,089

0.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,336 SEK 13.2K

40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,014 SEK 10.0K

-0.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$4,079 SEK 40.4K

-2.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,821 SEK 28.0K

-39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$3,350 SEK 33.2K

-80.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

264.67%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Skovde

$615 34.3% 0.8% $5

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Skovde

$369 20.6% 24% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Skovde

$172 9.6% 18% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Skovde

$182 10.2% 5.5% $9.5

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Skovde

$268 15% 56.8% $97

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Skovde

$111 6.2% 16.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Skovde

$75 4.2% 26.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $793 in Skovde. 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 405% higher in Skovde, 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 $82.0 in Skovde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $369 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

34,466

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Skovde 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skovde is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,687 in Skovde. 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 $82.0 in Skovde. 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 $1,791 in Skovde. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Skovde at $1,791. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skovde 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, Skovde makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.