Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Turgi

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,503 in Turgi, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Turgi
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Turgi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Turgi

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Turgi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,503 in Turgi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Turgi $3,503

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $5,319 in Turgi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Turgi $5,319

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $7,135 in Turgi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Turgi $7,135

Medellin is about 53% cheaper than Turgi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Turgi sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Turgi by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$29.97 CHF 24.86

-73.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$127 CHF 105

-62.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$18.47 CHF 15.32

-48.57%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$6.23 CHF 5.16

-51.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$6.28 CHF 5.21

-71.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$6.13 CHF 5.08

-77.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$9.26 CHF 7.68

-65.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$9.43 CHF 7.82

-39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-31.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.14 CHF 2.60

-24.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.31 CHF 2.75

-46.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$8.20 CHF 6.80

-64.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$25.98 CHF 21.55

-60.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$27.63 CHF 22.92

-64.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$41.79 CHF 34.67

-66.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.56 CHF 2.95

11.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.90 CHF 2.41

-24.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.64 CHF 3.85

-53.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.69 CHF 1.41

15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.92 CHF 1.59

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.57 CHF 1.30

-21.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.48 CHF 9.52

-65.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.95 CHF 9.91

14.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$4.23 CHF 3.51

-72.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$100 CHF 83.0

-22.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$8.01 CHF 6.64

-84.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$4.50 CHF 3.73

-54.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$86.2 CHF 71.5

-90.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-43.51%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

-12.10%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

-10.87%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$294 CHF 244

-42.33%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$46.28 CHF 38.39

-70.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$64.9 CHF 53.8

-56.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$90.6 CHF 75.2

-51.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$46.26 CHF 38.38

-62.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$23.32 CHF 19.35

-70.37%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$2,922 CHF 2,424

-72.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$33.1K CHF 27.4K

-72.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$148 CHF 123

-42.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$80.5 CHF 66.8

-27.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$166 CHF 137

-18.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$201 CHF 167

-51.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,741 CHF 1,444

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,474 CHF 1,223

-56.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,916 CHF 2,419

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,463 CHF 2,043

-58.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$16.5K CHF 13.7K

-74.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$12.4K CHF 10.3K

-84.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.42

352.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Turgi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Turgi

$1.5K 42.1% 130% $833

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Turgi

$587 16.8% 97.6% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Turgi

$405 11.6% 91.9% $194

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Turgi

$485 13.8% 186% $315

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Turgi

$268 7.6% 58.4% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Turgi

$147 4.2% 57.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Turgi

$137 3.9% 139% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,741 in Turgi. 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 $127 in Turgi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $587 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Turgi

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Turgi 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Turgi

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 Turgi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Turgi is pricier by about 114%, 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 $5,255 in Turgi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,741 in Turgi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $127 in Turgi. 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 $3,503 in Turgi. That makes Medellin about 53% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Turgi at $3,503. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turgi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.