Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $624 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Surinam

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $624 in Surinam, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Surinam $624

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,046 in Surinam, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Surinam $1,046

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,469 in Surinam, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Surinam $1,469

Medellin costs about 163% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Surinam is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.90 MUR 275

37.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$38.29 MUR 1,784

22.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.48 MUR 348

27.01%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.61 MUR 121

15.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.13 MUR 52.8

59.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.68 MUR 31.66

107.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.58 MUR 120

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.65 MUR 217

23.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.60 MUR 74.4

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.74 MUR 34.55

221.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.16 MUR 54.1

52.59%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.55 MUR 119

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.20 MUR 242

95.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.48 MUR 302

52.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.15 MUR 520

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.79 MUR 130

42.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.71 MUR 126

-42.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.45 MUR 67.4

50.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$2.95 MUR 137

-26.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.94 MUR 43.68

108.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.01 MUR 47.26

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.75 MUR 34.77

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.84 MUR 39.33

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.31 MUR 294

-37.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.62 MUR 402

58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.65 MUR 76.7

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.36 MUR 110

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.27 MUR 199

-70.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$3.16 MUR 147

-35.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.84 MUR 971

-58.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.42 MUR 66.0

-4.93%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$37.1K MUR 1.7M

-8.08%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

10.10%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$44.96 MUR 2,094

277.34%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.55 MUR 491

28.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$29.52 MUR 1,375

-4.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.49 MUR 302

6.47%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$128 MUR 5,985

520.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,668 MUR 357.2K

18.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$76.3 MUR 3,553

11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$73.5 MUR 3,425

-21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$121 MUR 5,644

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$77.9 MUR 3,629

25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.67

64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Surinam

$219 35% 26.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Surinam

$85 13.6% 59.8% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Surinam

$130 20.9% 23.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Surinam

$157 25.2% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 78.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Surinam

$13 * 2.1% 77.4% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Surinam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $219 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 51.98 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Surinam 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 163%, 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 $936 in Surinam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Surinam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surinam costs $624 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.