Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Varnamo despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Varnamo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Varnamo $3,652

Medellin is about 3% cheaper than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Varnamo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Varnamo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.01 SEK 128

-37.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$89.7 SEK 881

-47.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$12.23 SEK 120

-22.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.68 SEK 45.94

-35.68%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.72 SEK 26.68

-33.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.13 SEK 20.91

-33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-59.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.08 SEK 69.6

-18.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.71 SEK 16.84

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.50 SEK 24.53

-4.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.54 SEK 34.80

-50.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$4.63 SEK 45.45

-37.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.57 SEK 123

-18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$11.73 SEK 115

-15.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.69 SEK 154

-10.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.11 SEK 30.57

27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.55 SEK 25.03

-39.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.82 SEK 27.67

-22.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.52 SEK 44.38

-51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.72 SEK 16.93

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.41 SEK 13.86

12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.57 SEK 25.24

-55.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.52 SEK 14.96

-18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-49.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.14 SEK 109

22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.93 SEK 19.00

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.64 SEK 25.96

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$3.19 SEK 31.35

-63.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$74.7 SEK 734

3.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.04 SEK 49.51

-74.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.08 SEK 10.59

89.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$41.06 SEK 403

-79.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.72 SEK 16.88

-21.51%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$33.6K SEK 329.7K

1.46%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$34.2K SEK 336.3K

1.24%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$77.0 SEK 756

120.47%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.22 SEK 169

-21.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.45 SEK 299

-7.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$39.03 SEK 383

11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$22.33 SEK 219

-23.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.36 SEK 151

-55.01%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$157 SEK 1,540

407.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,450 SEK 43.7K

104.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$80.4 SEK 790

5.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$56.8 SEK 557

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$99.9 SEK 981

35.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$123 SEK 1,209

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$794 SEK 7,800

52.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$612 SEK 6,006

4.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,178 SEK 11.6K

72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$985 SEK 9,670

2.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

3.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,853 SEK 28.0K

-33.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,032 SEK 20.0K

-67.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.03

261.06%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 4.7% $30

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 20.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 41% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 58.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 4.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 4.7% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 21.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $794 in Varnamo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varnamo are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $357 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

19,778

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Varnamo 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varnamo is pricier by about 3%, 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 $2,538 in Varnamo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varnamo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $794 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $90 in Varnamo. 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. That makes Medellin about 3% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,692 in Varnamo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,692 in Varnamo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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