Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Swieqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,082 in Swieqi, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Swieqi
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Swieqi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Swieqi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Swieqi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,082 in Swieqi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Swieqi $2,082

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,327 in Swieqi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Swieqi $3,327

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,571 in Swieqi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Swieqi $4,571

Medellin is about 21% cheaper than Swieqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Swieqi sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Swieqi by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.71 €14.91

-51.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$68.1 €60.8

-30.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.94 €9.76

-13.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.19 €2.85

-5.64%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.33 €2.08

-22.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.82 €1.62

-22.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.64 €3.25

-12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.44 €3.96

29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.36 €1.21

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.45 €1.29

64.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.59 €3.20

-50.70%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$3.19 €2.85

-9.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.53 €7.61

19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.92 €8.85

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$18.11 €16.15

-22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.86 €3.44

2.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.26 €2.02

-31.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.87 €2.56

-24.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.74 €3.34

-41.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.95 €1.74

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.45 €2.19

-35.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.81 €1.61

-36.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.89 €0.79

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.35 €5.66

-37.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.04 €5.39

126.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.47 €2.20

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.32 €2.07

-2.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.22 €1.98

-47.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$14.72 €13.14

425.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.99 €3.56

-68.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.77 €1.58

15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$33.28 €29.69

-74.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.46 €1.30

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.5K €25.4K

19.64%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.0K €34.8K

-11.08%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$121 €108

40.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.20 €19.81

-38.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$29.85 €26.63

-5.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$66.6 €59.4

-34.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.07 €14.34

6.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.98 €8.01

-23.05%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$221 €197

261.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.3K €11.0K

-26.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.7 €50.6

49.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$55.1 €49.18

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$112 €99.7

20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$128 €114

-23.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,259 €1,123

-4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,076 €960

-40.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,105 €2,770

-34.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,199 €1,962

-54.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,969 €3,541

5.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,882 €2,571

-33.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,397 €1,246

-52.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.01

172.82%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swieqi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Swieqi

$1.1K 51.7% 67.7% $435

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Swieqi

$305 14.7% 2.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Swieqi

$173 8.3% 18.1% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Swieqi

$249 11.9% 46.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Swieqi

$158 7.6% 6.5% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Swieqi

$36 1.8% 61% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Swieqi

$85 4.1% 46.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,259 in Swieqi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Swieqi are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Swieqi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $305 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇹 Swieqi

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

00:55 12:55 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Swieqi 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Swieqi

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 Swieqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swieqi is pricier by about 27%, 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 $3,123 in Swieqi. 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 $1,259 in Swieqi. 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 $68 in Swieqi. 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 $2,082 in Swieqi. That makes Medellin about 21% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,082 in Swieqi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,082 in Swieqi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Swieqi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.