Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Split

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,851 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Split

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,851 in Split, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Split $1,851

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,848 in Split, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Split $2,848

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,844 in Split, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Split $3,844

Medellin is about 11% cheaper than Split, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Split sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Split by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.02 €15.25

-52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$75.1 €67.2

-37.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.40 €10.21

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.70 €2.42

11.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$4.11 €3.68

-56.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.81 €2.51

-49.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$4.67 €4.18

-31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$5.18 €4.64

11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.29 €1.15

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.13 €1.91

11.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.73 €3.34

-52.55%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.16 €3.73

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.71 €12.28

-25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.50 €8.51

3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$12.88 €11.54

8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.19 €1.96

81.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.83 €1.64

-15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.91 €1.71

14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.88 €2.58

-24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.58 €1.41

24.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.15 €1.03

38.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.29 €1.16

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.28 €1.15

-3.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.71 €5.12

-30.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.14 €8.18

49.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.73 €1.55

-4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.20 €1.97

2.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.66 €1.49

-29.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$38.84 €34.78

99.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.80 €3.41

-66.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.11 €1.89

-2.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$29.30 €26.24

-70.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.95 €1.75

-30.77%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.0K €25.1K

21.46%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$24.7K €22.1K

40.23%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$212 €190

-20.07%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$20.36 €18.24

-33.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$40.88 €36.61

-31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$60.0 €53.8

-27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$13.12 €11.75

31.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.60 €9.50

-34.81%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$604 €541

31.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.8K €10.6K

-22.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$93.2 €83.5

-9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.54 €35.41

46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$113 €102

18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$98.0 €87.7

-0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,016 €910

18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$722 €646

-11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,906 €1,707

6.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,322 €1,184

-23.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$7,099 €6,358

-41.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,158 €4,619

-62.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,575 €1,410

-58.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.44

218.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Split: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Split

$722 39% 12.5% $80

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Split

$296 16% 0.3% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Split

$273 14.8% 29.4% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Split

$264 14.3% 55.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Split

$155 8.4% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Split

$60 3.2% 36% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Split

$81 4.4% 41.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,016 in Split. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Split are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in Split. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $296 in Split – so Split wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇷 Split

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

149,830

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Split 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Split

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 Split: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Split is pricier by about 13%, 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 $2,777 in Split. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Split, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,016 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $75 in Split. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Split. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,851 in Split, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,851 in Split. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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