Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $941 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Suva

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $941 in Suva, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Suva $941

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,702 in Suva, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Suva $1,702

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,463 in Suva, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Suva $2,463

Medellin costs about 74% more than Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Suva is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.93 FJD 13.24

36.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$43.61 FJD 97.4

7.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.67 FJD 17.13

23.86%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.90 FJD 6.47

3.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.52 FJD 3.40

18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.74 FJD 1.65

90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.47 FJD 7.75

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.56 FJD 10.19

26.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.31 FJD 2.93

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.52 FJD 1.17

357.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.11 FJD 2.49

59.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.22 FJD 7.19

-10.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.40 FJD 23.20

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.32 FJD 14.10

56.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.68 FJD 17.15

82.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.46 FJD 5.50

61.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.50 FJD 5.59

-38.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.43 FJD 7.65

-36.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.21 FJD 7.16

-32.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.24 FJD 2.76

58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.10 FJD 2.45

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.20 FJD 2.67

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.69 FJD 1.53

79.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.02 FJD 22.37

-60.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.22 FJD 16.11

89.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.12 FJD 4.73

-21.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.37 FJD 7.53

-32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.71 FJD 1.58

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$24.49 FJD 54.7

215.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.87 FJD 1.93

45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.43 FJD 0.96

376.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.04 FJD 20.17

-5.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.44 FJD 3.21

-6.25%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.4K FJD 54.4K

39.84%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.4K FJD 56.7K

36.40%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$45.96 FJD 103

269.13%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$12.73 FJD 28.41

6.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$23.66 FJD 52.8

18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$36.73 FJD 82.0

18.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.99 FJD 24.52

56.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.38 FJD 7.54

104.44%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$224 FJD 499

256.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.2K FJD 29.5K

-31.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$33.66 FJD 75.1

151.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$39.60 FJD 88.4

46.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$69.9 FJD 156

92.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$61.5 FJD 137

59.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$891 FJD 1,989

35.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$322 FJD 720

98.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,636 FJD 5,882

-23.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$978 FJD 2,182

3.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,327 FJD 2,962

214.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$827 FJD 1,847

130.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$946 FJD 2,112

-30.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.7

42.08%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Suva

$322 34.3% 49.7% $319

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Suva

$229 24.4% 22.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Suva

$82 8.8% 61% $129

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Suva

$141 15% 17% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Suva

$92 9.8% 45.5% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Suva

$30 3.2% 67.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Suva

$43 4.6% 24.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $891 in Suva. 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 44% higher in Suva, 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 in Medellin versus $44 in Suva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $229 – making Suva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

17 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.401 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, 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).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.49 FJD (1 FJD = 0.401 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Suva 11,910 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Suva

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 Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,411 in Suva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suva, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $891 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $44 in Suva. 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 $941 in Suva. That makes Suva about 43% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $941 in Suva. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Suva – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Suva is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.