Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $839 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Song Be

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $839 in Song Be, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Song Be $839

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,363 in Song Be, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Song Be $1,363

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,887 in Song Be, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Song Be $1,887

Medellin costs about 94% more than Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Song Be is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.92 ₫49.6K

332.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$23.01 ₫595.6K

103.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.75 ₫123.1K

94.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.85 ₫47.9K

64.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.55 ₫14.3K

227.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.34 ₫8,819

305.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.08 ₫28.0K

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.70 ₫44.1K

227.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.64 ₫42.5K

-8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.06 ₫27.4K

123.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.06 ₫27.4K

60.38%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.62 ₫41.8K

82.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$11.93 ₫309.0K

-14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.66 ₫94.7K

166.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.42 ₫269.7K

33.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.98 ₫77.2K

38.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.26 ₫32.6K

21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.57 ₫40.7K

41.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.25 ₫32.4K

81.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.18 ₫30.6K

68.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.19 ₫30.9K

40.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.73 ₫18.8K

61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.52 ₫13.5K

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.25 ₫32.4K

209.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.87 ₫333.1K

7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.89 ₫23.1K

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.47 ₫38.0K

63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.35 ₫9,126

254.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$6.85 ₫177.5K

1041.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.74 ₫19.3K

72.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.62 ₫16.0K

246.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.00 ₫77.7K

179.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.90 ₫23.4K

50.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$31.4K ₫812.5M

10.77%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$29.7K ₫769.5M

16.70%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$105 ₫2.7M

58.40%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$5.87 ₫152.1K

132.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$10.60 ₫274.4K

174.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$25.41 ₫657.8K

77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$7.53 ₫195.0K

128.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$3.82 ₫98.9K

82.46%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$448 ₫11.6M

76.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-62.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$52.2 ₫1.4M

68.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$34.58 ₫895.3K

68.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$90.9 ₫2.4M

52.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$94.9 ₫2.5M

4.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$362 ₫9.4M

183.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$280 ₫7.2M

121.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$836 ₫21.6M

124.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$675 ₫17.5M

49.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,961 ₫50.8M

103.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,360 ₫35.2M

25.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.64

26.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Song Be: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Song Be

$280 33.3% 54.9% $340

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Song Be

$206 24.6% 30.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Song Be

$122 14.5% 41.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Song Be

$123 14.6% 29% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 62.4% $107

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Song Be

$12 1.4% 87.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Song Be

$33 3.9% 44% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $362 in Song Be. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Song Be. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $206 – making Song Be the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Song Be 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 94%, 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 $1,259 in Song Be. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Song Be, 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 $23.00 in Song Be. 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 $839 in Song Be. That's a gap of about 94%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Song Be, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Song Be it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Song Be – 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 Song Be. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.