Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Surprise, AZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Surprise, AZ

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Surprise, AZ $1,305

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $3,606 in Surprise, AZ, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Surprise, AZ $3,606

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $5,906 in Surprise, AZ, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Surprise, AZ $5,906

Medellin costs about 22% more than Surprise, AZ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Surprise, AZ is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$20.25 $20.25

-60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.4K

$84.2 $84.2

-44.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$12.84 $12.84

-26.56%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,280

$6.01 $6.01

-51.58%

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

$1.75 COP 5,586

$2.65 $2.65

-33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,220

$2.46 $2.46

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,972

$7.20 $7.20

-56.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$8.13 $8.13

-31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,496

$1.00 $1.00

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,779

$3.52 $3.52

-30.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,192

$5.19 $5.19

-68.59%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,993

$4.73 $4.73

-40.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$13.40 $13.40

-27.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$11.30 $11.30

-17.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$14.80 $14.80

-9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$4.61 $4.61

-13.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,720

$1.94 $1.94

-23.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,770

$3.88 $3.88

-45.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,180

$4.21 $4.21

-46.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,093

$2.55 $2.55

-25.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,162

$2.88 $2.88

-43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,659

$2.13 $2.13

-46.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,022

$2.17 $2.17

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$10.66 $10.66

-64.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$13.77 $13.77

-4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,084

$2.51 $2.51

-36.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,190

$3.19 $3.19

-29.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,732

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,057

$2.80 $2.80

-54.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,533

$1.40 $1.40

46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$35.29 $35.29

-76.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,047

$1.13 $1.13

12.39%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$36.7K $36.7K

-27.10%

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

$34.4K COP 109.7M

$25.3K $25.3K

35.98%

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

$162 COP 517.0K

$197 $197

-17.65%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$62.6 $62.6

-79.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$73.8 $73.8

-61.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.3K

$60.8 $60.8

-27.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$13.16 $13.16

-53.72%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$1,090 $1,090

-29.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$15.6K $15.6K

-42.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$56.0 $56.0

51.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$44.17 $44.17

30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 420.0K

$99.9 $99.9

31.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.2K

$115 $115

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$2,116 $2,116

-14.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$3,030 $3,030

-67.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,591 $1,591

3.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$4,222 $4,222

-85.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.44

69.88%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Surprise, AZ

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9% 35.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5% 63.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8% 14.7% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4% 108% $179

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8% 89.2% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7% 54.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 574% higher in Surprise, AZ, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $84.0 in Surprise, AZ. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $392 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

143,148

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Surprise, AZ 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Surprise, AZ

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 Surprise, AZ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,958 in Surprise, AZ. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $84.0 in Surprise, AZ. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 36% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surprise, AZ, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Surprise, AZ it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surprise, AZ – 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 Surprise, AZ. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.