Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Tumba despite lower rent and utilities.

Medellin, Colombia
Tumba, Sweden
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Tumba
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,896
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tumba

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,896 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Tumba $1,896

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,899 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Tumba $2,899

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,901 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Tumba $3,901

Medellin is about 14% cheaper than Tumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Tumba sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Tumba by 39%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$14.20 SEK 141
-43.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$64.9 SEK 645
-27.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$9.95 SEK 98.8
-4.52%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$4.29 SEK 42.62
-29.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.65 SEK 26.32
-32.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$2.21 SEK 21.98
-36.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$7.17 SEK 71.2
-55.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$6.91 SEK 68.6
-16.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.79 SEK 17.74
-15.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$3.05 SEK 30.32
-21.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$3.75 SEK 37.26
-52.80%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$5.03 SEK 49.99
-42.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$13.00 SEK 129
-21.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$13.25 SEK 132
-25.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$17.49 SEK 174
-20.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$3.25 SEK 32.26
22.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$2.68 SEK 26.65
-42.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$2.06 SEK 20.45
5.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$4.50 SEK 44.71
-51.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.45 SEK 14.40
35.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.80 SEK 17.92
-11.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$2.30 SEK 22.87
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$1.88 SEK 18.70
-34.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$7.15 SEK 71.0
-44.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$10.04 SEK 99.7
36.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$2.01 SEK 19.99
-17.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.25 SEK 22.37
0.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$4.26 SEK 42.31
-72.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$103 SEK 1,022
-24.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$5.79 SEK 57.5
-78.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$1.48 SEK 14.67
38.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$57.1 SEK 567
-85.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.81 SEK 17.99
-25.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$33.4K SEK 332.0K
1.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$34.0K SEK 337.3K
2.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$176 SEK 1,746
-3.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$21.42 SEK 213
-36.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$48.20 SEK 479
-41.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$40.34 SEK 401
8.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$26.36 SEK 262
-34.79%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$16.89 SEK 168
-59.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$158 SEK 1,569
404.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$5,131 SEK 51.0K
77.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$113 SEK 1,123
-25.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$53.6 SEK 532
8.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$94.8 SEK 941
42.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$186 SEK 1,843
-47.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$792 SEK 7,866
52.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$599 SEK 5,953
7.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,375 SEK 13.7K
47.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,011 SEK 10.0K
0.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$3,992 SEK 39.6K
4.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$2,784 SEK 27.6K
-31.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tumba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.8
290.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tumba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Tumba
$599 6.6% $42
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Tumba
$379 27.5% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Tumba
$245 16.2% $34
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Tumba
$264 55.7% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Tumba
$201 19% $32
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Tumba
$133 42.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Tumba
$74 28.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $792 in Tumba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $65 in Tumba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $379 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇸🇪 Tumba
🕒 Local time
08:02 8:02 AM
14:02 2:02 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
42,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tumba 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tumba

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 Tumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Tumba?
Yes – Tumba is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,844 in Tumba. 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 Tumba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $792 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tumba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $65 in Tumba. 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 Tumba?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,896 in Tumba. That’s a gap of about 16%.
Is $2,500 enough for either Medellin or Tumba?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,896 in Tumba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Tumba?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,896 in Tumba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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