Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Varazdin

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,270 in Varazdin, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Varazdin $1,270

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,842 in Varazdin, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Varazdin $1,842

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,414 in Varazdin, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Varazdin $2,414

Medellin costs about 27% more than Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Varazdin is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$11.43 €10.17

-30.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$61.8 €55.0

-25.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.15 €9.03

-6.40%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.26 €2.01

37.61%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.55 €2.27

-28.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.96 €1.75

-29.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.94 €3.50

-22.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.43 €3.05

60.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.18 €1.05

22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.64 €1.45

43.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.58 €2.29

-34.88%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.40 €3.02

-15.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$5.49 €4.88

85.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$8.31 €7.39

14.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$14.36 €12.77

-2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.67 €1.49

143.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.70 €1.51

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.77 €1.57

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.38 €2.11

-2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.25 €1.11

54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.14 €1.02

43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.10 €0.97

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.15 €1.02

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$5.64 €5.01

-29.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.96 €7.08

67.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.76 €0.67

123.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.12 €1.89

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.38 €1.23

-12.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$44.38 €39.47

72.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$3.41 €3.03

-61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.42 €1.26

50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$13.15 €11.70

-35.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.64 €1.46

-20.73%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$26.3K €23.4K

6.55%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$23.5K €20.9K

50.50%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$146 €130

17.98%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$13.93 €12.39

-4.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$30.69 €27.30

-6.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$43.23 €38.46

4.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$12.78 €11.37

33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.86 €6.10

-8.45%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$154 €137

401.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$12.9K €11.5K

-30.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$73.5 €65.4

17.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$33.37 €29.68

71.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$61.4 €54.6

122.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$71.9 €64.0

36.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$560 €498

88.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$422 €375

45.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$876 €779

116.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$467 €416

118.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,127 €2,782

29.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,478 €2,204

-32.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,379 €1,227

-52.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.73

193.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Varazdin

$422 33.2% 31.5% $194

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Varazdin

$239 18.8% 19% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Varazdin

$190 15% 11.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Varazdin

$108 8.5% 36.5% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Varazdin

$194 15.3% 15% $25

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Varazdin

$60 4.8% 35.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Varazdin

$57 4.5% 1.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $560 in Varazdin. 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 111% higher in Varazdin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $62.0 in Varazdin. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $239 in Varazdin – so Varazdin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,782

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Varazdin 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,905 in Varazdin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varazdin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $62.0 in Varazdin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,270 in Varazdin. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Varazdin, where all-in costs run around $1,270, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Varazdin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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