Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sunderland

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,845 in Sunderland, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Sunderland
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,845
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sunderland

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,845 in Sunderland, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Sunderland $1,845

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,755 in Sunderland, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Sunderland $2,755

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,665 in Sunderland, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Sunderland $3,665

Medellin is about 12% cheaper than Sunderland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$18.54 £13.91
-55.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$70.2 £52.7
-33.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$8.87 £6.66
4.17%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$5.02 £3.77
-39.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$2.32 £1.74
-22.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$1.96 £1.47
-29.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$4.63 £3.48
-30.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$4.30 £3.23
29.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.44 £1.08
4.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$1.37 £1.03
72.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$2.40 £1.80
-29.17%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$3.52 £2.64
-15.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$9.72 £7.29
5.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$8.99 £6.74
8.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$14.35 £10.76
-3.14%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$3.26 £2.44
26.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$1.85 £1.39
-17.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$2.92 £2.19
-23.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$3.79 £2.84
-40.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$1.79 £1.34
11.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$1.48 £1.11
12.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.20 £0.90
-1.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$1.50 £1.13
-17.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$22.99 £17.25
-83.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$10.19 £7.65
35.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$3.57 £2.68
-53.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$3.49 £2.62
-31.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$2.08 £1.56
-40.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$119 £89.6
-34.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$4.40 £3.30
-70.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$1.55 £1.16
38.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$28.14 £21.11
-70.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$2.09 £1.57
-35.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$38.3K £28.8K
-9.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$40.5K £30.4K
-14.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$248 £186
-32.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$16.93 £12.70
-19.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$42.31 £31.74
-31.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$40.70 £30.53
10.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$12.01 £9.01
43.05%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$10.66 £8.00
-34.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$819 £614
-3.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$17.6K £13.2K
-48.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$91.1 £68.4
-3.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$47.14 £35.37
23.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$109 £81.4
28.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$94.7 £71.1
4.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$792 £594
29.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$595 £446
4.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$1,356 £1,017
38.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$957 £718
5.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Sunderland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$3,663 £2,748
-81.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.15
112.43%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Sunderland
$595 4% $25
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Sunderland
$303 1.8% $5.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Sunderland
$307 46.7% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Sunderland
$154 11% $19
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Sunderland
$284 66.3% $113
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Sunderland
$140 47% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Sunderland
$62 5.1% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $792 in Sunderland. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 452% higher in Sunderland, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $70.0 in Sunderland. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $303 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇬🇧 Sunderland
🕒 Local time
23:35 11:35 PM
05:35 5:35 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
275,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Sunderland 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Sunderland

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 Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sunderland cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Sunderland is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,768 in Sunderland. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Sunderland?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $70.0 in Sunderland. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Sunderland?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,845 in Sunderland. That's a gap of about 14%.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Sunderland?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Sunderland at $1,845. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunderland it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Sunderland more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sunderland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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