Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Umea

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Umea: $1,589 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Umea

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,608 in Umea, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Umea $1,608

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $2,579 in Umea, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Umea $2,579

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $3,550 in Umea, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Umea $3,550

Medellin is about 1% cheaper than Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Umea sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Umea by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$15.02 SEK 150

-46.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$79.3 SEK 793

-41.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$12.00 SEK 120

-21.42%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.99 SEK 39.90

-27.07%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$3.20 SEK 31.99

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.36 SEK 23.59

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$8.30 SEK 83.0

-62.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$7.40 SEK 74.0

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.63 SEK 16.29

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$3.44 SEK 34.42

-29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$4.07 SEK 40.68

-59.95%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.90 SEK 38.95

-27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$11.24 SEK 112

-13.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$10.73 SEK 107

-13.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$17.23 SEK 172

-21.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.46 SEK 24.57

62.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.26 SEK 22.63

-34.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.82 SEK 28.16

-24.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$4.30 SEK 43.00

-47.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.64 SEK 16.35

16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.66 SEK 16.60

-2.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$2.49 SEK 24.90

-53.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.28 SEK 12.83

-1.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$6.89 SEK 68.9

-44.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$9.89 SEK 98.9

32.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.27 SEK 22.66

-29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.44 SEK 24.40

-7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$2.92 SEK 29.16

-59.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$56.9 SEK 568

31.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$6.80 SEK 68.0

-81.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$5.02 SEK 50.2

-59.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.74 SEK 17.37

-27.01%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

-18.92%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

2.25%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$86.0 SEK 860

88.53%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$32.39 SEK 324

-59.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$27.15 SEK 271

3.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$48.96 SEK 489

-9.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$35.34 SEK 353

-53.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$16.17 SEK 162

-62.34%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$137 SEK 1,368

458.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$99.5 SEK 995

-14.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$36.44 SEK 364

57.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$117 SEK 1,166

12.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$141 SEK 1,405

-31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$736 SEK 7,357

39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$504 SEK 5,040

19.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

63.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$823 SEK 8,227

20.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

-13.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

-46.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

-76.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.65

199.73%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Umea

$504 30.7% 16.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Umea

$350 21.3% 21.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Umea

$146 8.9% 28.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Umea

$177 10.8% 6.3% $10

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Umea

$283 17.2% 69.9% $116

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Umea

$100 6.1% 10.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Umea

$81 5% 43.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $736 in Umea. 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 327% higher in Umea, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $79.0 in Umea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $350 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

79,594

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Umea 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Umea is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $2,413 in Umea. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $79.0 in Umea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,608 in Umea. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Umea at $1,608. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Umea 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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