Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tongi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tongi: $328 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Tongi
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Tongi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Tongi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tongi

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $328 in Tongi, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Tongi $328

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $534 in Tongi, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Tongi $534

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $741 in Tongi, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Tongi $741

Medellin costs about 416% more than Tongi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tongi is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.02 ৳252

312.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$9.27 ৳1,158

401.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.64 ৳579

104.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ৳375

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 ৳526

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.75 ৳219

78.86%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.35 ৳43.14

405.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.15 ৳18.80

846.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.71 ৳88.5

115.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.49 ৳60.7

367.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$0.63 ৳78.6

207.94%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.15 ৳144

166.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.47 ৳932

33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$2.43 ৳303

330.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.53 ৳815

113.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.40 ৳300

68.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.95 ৳119

61.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.96 ৳245

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.58 ৳72.9

294.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$0.26 ৳32.16

711.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.53 ৳66.7

222.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.41 ৳50.8

185.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.23 ৳28.72

586.96%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.73 ৳965

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ৳309

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 ৳585

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.01 ৳376

29.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.37 ৳45.95

218.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.79 ৳98.6

129.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.38 ৳47.81

460.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.75 ৳343

195.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.23 ৳153

4.07%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$29.2K ৳3.6M

18.02%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$26.9K ৳3.4M

26.78%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$29.56 ৳3,691

501.25%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.20 ৳525

230.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$7.97 ৳995

285.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$13.22 ৳1,651

217.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.60 ৳450

107.50%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$25.01 ৳3,123

3059.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,527 ৳190.6K

705.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$22.05 ৳2,754

291.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$23.42 ৳2,924

153.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$31.59 ৳3,944

337.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$33.81 ৳4,222

192.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$86.6 ৳10.8K

1449.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$50.6 ৳6,313

1219.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$168 ৳21.0K

1073.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$116 ৳14.5K

788.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$756 ৳94.4K

442.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$98.7 ৳12.3K

554.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.79

1.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tongi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Tongi

$51 15.4% 92.4% $617

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Tongi

$108 32.9% 64.9% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Tongi

$42 12.7% 81.2% $181

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Tongi

$53 16.2% 69.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Tongi

$50 15.2% 71% $122

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Tongi

$4.2 * 1.3% 95.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Tongi

$20 6.2% 64.1% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $87 in Tongi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $9 in Tongi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $108 – making Tongi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇩 Tongi

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

23:52 11:52 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

406,420

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.01 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 125 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.01 USD). 1 EUR = 140 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.15 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Tongi 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tongi

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 Tongi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 416%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $492 in Tongi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tongi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $87 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $9 in Tongi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 185% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tongi, where all-in costs run around $328, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tongi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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