Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Swidnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Swidnica: $1,219 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Swidnica, Poland
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Swidnica
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,219
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Swidnica

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,219 in Swidnica, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Swidnica $1,219

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,890 in Swidnica, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Swidnica $1,890

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,562 in Swidnica, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Swidnica $2,562

Medellin costs about 34% more than Swidnica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Swidnica is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$7.83 zł 30.99
3.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$25.29 zł 100
86.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$7.04 zł 27.85
34.94%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.02 zł 11.96
-0.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.13 zł 8.44
-15.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.89 zł 7.47
-25.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$2.51 zł 9.94
26.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$5.03 zł 19.89
14.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.04 zł 4.13
45.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.51 zł 6.00
57.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.50 zł 5.92
18.00%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$3.95 zł 15.63
-26.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$9.28 zł 36.72
9.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$6.64 zł 26.26
48.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$11.86 zł 46.95
17.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.30 zł 5.15
205.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.57 zł 6.20
-1.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.68 zł 6.63
29.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$3.44 zł 13.63
-36.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.93 zł 3.68
110.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.79 zł 3.11
101.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.45 zł 5.75
-20.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.71 zł 2.82
74.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$6.04 zł 23.91
-34.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$7.57 zł 29.96
80.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.19 zł 4.72
39.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$1.84 zł 7.30
22.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$1.09 zł 4.30
7.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$28.32 zł 112
173.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$2.58 zł 10.22
-50.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.99 zł 3.92
107.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$10.23 zł 40.47
-16.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.66 zł 6.56
-18.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$29.9K zł 118.2K
14.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$29.0K zł 114.7K
19.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$199 zł 788
-14.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$9.55 zł 37.79
41.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$12.49 zł 49.41
124.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$37.52 zł 148
16.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$21.93 zł 86.8
-21.61%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$6.98 zł 27.60
-1.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$475 zł 1,879
67.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$11.8K zł 46.7K
-22.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$92.3 zł 365
-8.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$38.47 zł 152
50.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$92.7 zł 367
45.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$107 zł 423
-8.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$590 zł 2,334
104.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$371 zł 1,470
72.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$974 zł 3,855
108.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$822 zł 3,252
23.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$2,938 zł 11.6K
41.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$2,228 zł 8,817
-14.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Swidnica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,020 zł 4,038
-35.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
7
56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swidnica: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Swidnica
$371 42.1% $270
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Swidnica
$227 23.5% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Swidnica
$221 4.7% $9.9
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Swidnica
$159 6.4% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Swidnica
$149 12% $20
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Swidnica
$40 57% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Swidnica
$51 10.5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $590 in Swidnica. 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 55% higher in Swidnica, 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 $25 in Swidnica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $227 – making Swidnica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇱 Swidnica
🕒 Local time
18:14 6:14 PM
00:14 12:14 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
55,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.96 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Swidnica 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Swidnica

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 Swidnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Swidnica cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,828 in Swidnica. 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 Swidnica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $590 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Swidnica?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in Swidnica. 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 Swidnica?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,219 in Swidnica. That makes Swidnica about 26% cheaper.
Is $2,000 enough for either Medellin or Swidnica?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,219 in Swidnica, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Medellin or Swidnica more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Swidnica – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Swidnica is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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