Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Stafford, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,568 in Stafford, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Stafford, VA
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Stafford, VA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Stafford, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Stafford, VA

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,568 in Stafford, VA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Stafford, VA $2,568

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,011 in Stafford, VA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Stafford, VA $4,011

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,454 in Stafford, VA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Stafford, VA $5,454

Medellin is about 36% cheaper than Stafford, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Stafford, VA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Stafford, VA by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$16.30 $16.30

-50.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$107 $107

-55.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.98 $11.98

-20.70%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$5.38 $5.38

-44.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$3.13 $3.13

-42.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$2.62 $2.62

-46.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$6.81 $6.81

-53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$9.88 $9.88

-41.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.35 $1.35

11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.07 $3.07

-22.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$7.19 $7.19

-75.38%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$5.06 $5.06

-42.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$17.22 $17.22

-40.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$11.11 $11.11

-11.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$18.41 $18.41

-24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$7.04 $7.04

-43.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.29 $2.29

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$5.11 $5.11

-57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$5.94 $5.94

-63.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$2.80 $2.80

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$3.72 $3.72

-57.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.65 $2.65

-56.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$2.77 $2.77

-55.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$14.05 $14.05

-71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$16.11 $16.11

-15.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$3.33 $3.33

-50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$5.64 $5.64

-59.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$4.05 $4.05

-68.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.62 $1.62

26.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$25.50 $25.50

-66.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.07 $1.07

26.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$34.5K $34.5K

-1.26%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$25.8K $25.8K

34.59%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$137 $137

23.51%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$81.7 $81.7

-83.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$79.3 $79.3

-64.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$17.85 $17.85

-61.29%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$2,906 $2,906

-72.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$40.8K $40.8K

-77.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$72.2 $72.2

17.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$44.78 $44.78

29.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$106 $106

27.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$126 $126

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,767 $1,767

-31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,283 $1,283

-50.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,630 $2,630

-22.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,406 $2,406

-57.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,271 $3,271

-41.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$7,504 $7,504

-91.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stafford, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Stafford, VA

$1.3K 50% 100% $641

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Stafford, VA

$475 18.5% 59.8% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Stafford, VA

$298 11.6% 41.2% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Stafford, VA

$308 12% 81.5% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Stafford, VA

$157 6.1% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Stafford, VA

$12 * 0.5% 87% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Stafford, VA

$36 * 1.4% 37.9% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,767 in Stafford, VA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Stafford, VA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $107 in Stafford, VA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $475 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Stafford, VA

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,693

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Stafford, VA 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Stafford, VA

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 Stafford, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stafford, VA is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,852 in Stafford, VA. 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 $1,767 in Stafford, VA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $107 in Stafford, VA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Stafford, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Stafford, VA at $2,568. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stafford, VA 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, Stafford, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.