Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,451 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 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
167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,451 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
St. Gallen $3,451

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $5,120 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
St. Gallen $5,120

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,789 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
St. Gallen $6,789

Medellin is about 52% cheaper than St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and St. Gallen sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, St. Gallen by 154%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$28.78 CHF 23.74

-71.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$144 CHF 119

-67.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$18.04 CHF 14.88

-47.34%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$6.03 CHF 4.97

-50.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-69.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$5.10 CHF 4.21

-72.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$8.80 CHF 7.26

-63.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.38 CHF 5.26

-9.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.25 CHF 1.86

-32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.16 CHF 2.61

-24.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-53.05%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-62.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$24.91 CHF 20.55

-59.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$29.02 CHF 23.94

-65.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-64.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.06 CHF 2.52

29.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.56 CHF 1.28

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.40 CHF 1.98

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-64.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.71 CHF 1.41

14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-25.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.18 CHF 0.97

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-63.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.23 CHF 9.26

21.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-71.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$86.4 CHF 71.2

-10.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$6.62 CHF 5.46

-80.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$4.76 CHF 3.93

-56.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$79.2 CHF 65.3

-89.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-39.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-11.22%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-10.18%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$312 CHF 257

-45.63%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$37.60 CHF 31.01

-63.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$54.0 CHF 44.50

-47.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$79.6 CHF 65.6

-45.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$28.27 CHF 23.32

-75.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,308 CHF 1,904

-65.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-71.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$144 CHF 119

-41.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$64.0 CHF 52.8

-9.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$146 CHF 120

-7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$183 CHF 151

-46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,895 CHF 1,563

-36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,504 CHF 1,240

-57.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,868 CHF 2,366

-29.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,256 CHF 1,860

-55.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$11.3K CHF 9,283

-62.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$8,285 CHF 6,833

-76.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$6,694 CHF 5,521

-90.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.1

420.95%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6% 134% $862

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

St. Gallen

$575 16.7% 93.5% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

St. Gallen

$404 11.7% 91% $192

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

St. Gallen

$458 13.3% 170% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

St. Gallen

$242 7% 43.2% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

St. Gallen

$133 3.9% 42.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

St. Gallen

$136 3.9% 137% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,895 in St. Gallen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St. Gallen are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $144 in St. Gallen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $575 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

78,213

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin St. Gallen 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Gallen is pricier by about 111%, 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 $5,177 in St. Gallen. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,895 in St. Gallen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $144 in St. Gallen. 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 $3,451 in St. Gallen. That makes Medellin about 52% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in St. Gallen at $3,451. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.