Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Stavanger

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,248 in Stavanger, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Stavanger $3,248

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,717 in Stavanger, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Stavanger $4,717

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

Medellin $3,186
Stavanger $6,186

Medellin is about 50% cheaper than Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Stavanger sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Stavanger by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$24.67 NOK 227

-67.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$98.0 NOK 900

-51.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$16.23 NOK 149

-41.47%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$6.22 NOK 57.1

-51.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$5.89 NOK 54.1

-69.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$4.53 NOK 41.60

-68.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$13.76 NOK 126

-76.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$10.62 NOK 97.6

-45.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.53 NOK 23.22

-40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.52 NOK 32.32

-32.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.98 NOK 36.53

-55.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.75 NOK 43.68

-39.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.22 NOK 140

-33.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$17.54 NOK 161

-43.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$36.16 NOK 332

-61.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.53 NOK 32.44

12.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.86 NOK 26.25

-45.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.62 NOK 33.25

-39.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.93 NOK 45.29

-55.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.55 NOK 23.46

-23.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$3.11 NOK 28.58

-48.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.90 NOK 26.61

-60.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$2.33 NOK 21.41

-46.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$18.27 NOK 168

-78.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$18.94 NOK 174

-27.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.80 NOK 34.94

-56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.51 NOK 41.44

-49.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$4.75 NOK 43.60

-75.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$85.4 NOK 785

-9.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-79.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.80 NOK 16.54

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$106 NOK 972

-91.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.46 NOK 22.64

-45.12%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

-30.63%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

-17.87%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$260 NOK 2,385

-34.65%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$33.92 NOK 312

-60.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$79.9 NOK 734

-64.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$52.0 NOK 477

-15.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$37.64 NOK 346

-54.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$22.16 NOK 204

-68.82%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$325 NOK 2,990

144.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

-36.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$130 NOK 1,191

-34.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$61.9 NOK 569

-6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$151 NOK 1,386

-10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$206 NOK 1,890

-52.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

-33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

-55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

-29.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

-52.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

-35.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

-64.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

-87.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.24

108.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 123% $787

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 78.6% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 76.8% $162

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 167% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 46% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 27.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Stavanger

$96 3% 67.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Stavanger are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $98 in Stavanger. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $530 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

149,330

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Stavanger 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stavanger is pricier by about 98%, 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 $4,872 in Stavanger. 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 $1,805 in Stavanger.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $98 in Stavanger. 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 $3,248 in Stavanger. That makes Medellin about 50% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Stavanger at $3,248. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $3,248 in Stavanger. 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, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.