Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Swansea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,196 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Swansea

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,196 in Swansea, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Swansea $2,196

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,130 in Swansea, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Swansea $3,130

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,065 in Swansea, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Swansea $4,065

Medellin is about 25% cheaper than Swansea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Swansea sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Swansea by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$20.41 £15.36

-60.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$63.1 £47.46

-25.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.47 £7.88

-9.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.76 £3.59

-36.76%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.36 £1.78

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.26 £0.95

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.89 £4.43

-46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.38 £4.80

-9.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.34 £1.01

12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.05 £1.54

16.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.06 £1.55

-14.08%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.52 £2.65

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.78 £5.86

30.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$8.33 £6.27

18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.87 £9.69

8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.32 £1.74

71.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.24 £0.93

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.87 £2.16

-24.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.57 £2.69

-38.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.25 £1.69

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.05 £2.30

-47.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.27 £0.96

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.29 £1.73

-45.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$23.23 £17.48

-82.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.63 £8.00

28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.33 £1.75

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.40 £2.56

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$4.12 £3.10

-71.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$97.1 £73.1

-20.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.95 £2.97

-67.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.68 £2.02

-23.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$33.33 £25.08

-74.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.95 £1.47

-30.77%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$38.9K £29.3K

-12.45%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$40.5K £30.5K

-14.33%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$306 £231

-44.64%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$14.81 £11.15

-8.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$43.20 £32.51

-35.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$33.28 £25.05

31.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.52 £11.68

10.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.85 £7.41

-29.85%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,777 £1,337

-55.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$89.7 £67.5

-5.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$48.22 £36.29

20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$122 £92.0

10.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$82.6 £62.1

18.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,112 £837

8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$891 £671

-28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,500 £1,129

35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,337 £1,007

-24.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,563 £2,682

17.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,615 £1,968

-26.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,263 £2,456

-79.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.04

81.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Swansea

$891 40.6% 38.9% $250

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Swansea

$293 13.4% 1.2% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Swansea

$364 16.6% 72.5% $153

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Swansea

$309 14.1% 81.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Swansea

$154 7% 8.8% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Swansea

$131 6% 39.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Swansea

$53 2.4% 7.9% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,112 in Swansea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Swansea are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $63 in Swansea. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $293 in Swansea – so Swansea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇧 Swansea

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

239,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Swansea 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Swansea

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 Swansea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swansea is pricier by about 34%, 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 $3,293 in Swansea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,112 in Swansea. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $63 in Swansea. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,196 in Swansea, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,196 in Swansea. 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, Swansea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.