Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Waling

For one person, living is cheaper in Waling: $325 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Waling
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Waling Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Waling

🇳🇵 Nepal

$325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Waling

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $325 in Waling, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Waling $325

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $532 in Waling, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Waling $532

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $739 in Waling, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Waling $739

Medellin costs about 396% more than Waling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Waling is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.01 NPR 305

294.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$19.99 NPR 3,038

130.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.98 NPR 1,212

19.05%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.54 NPR 234

101.95%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.54 NPR 81.3

238.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.15 NPR 23.24

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.14 NPR 476

-2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.19 NPR 484

72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.76 NPR 115

90.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.44 NPR 67.3

436.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.86 NPR 131

95.35%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.33 NPR 202

115.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.67 NPR 1,014

52.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.69 NPR 408

254.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$3.18 NPR 483

341.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.98 NPR 301

105.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.75 NPR 114

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.34 NPR 204

61.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.53 NPR 80.9

335.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.35 NPR 52.4

451.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.38 NPR 57.7

331.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.48 NPR 73.6

135.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.19 NPR 28.35

557.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.46 NPR 373

62.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.25 NPR 797

154.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.21 NPR 336

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.92 NPR 443

-18.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.81 NPR 275

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.19 NPR 181

79.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.21 NPR 488

163.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.39 NPR 212

-6.47%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$29.1K NPR 4.4M

-3.81%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-2.59%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$31.49 NPR 4,784

446.49%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$3.42 NPR 520

290.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$9.30 NPR 1,413

208.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$2.89 NPR 439

117.30%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$67.2 NPR 10.2K

1046.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,498 NPR 835.3K

63.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$25.08 NPR 3,811

244.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$27.13 NPR 4,122

110.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$63.4 NPR 9,625

115.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$28.38 NPR 4,312

245.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,051 NPR 159.8K

286.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,240 NPR 188.5K

35.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.72

12.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Waling: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Waling

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Waling

$120 36.8% 59.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Waling

$44 13.6% 79.4% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Waling

$65 19.9% 61.9% $105

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Waling

$83 25.6% 50.5% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Waling

$7.8 * 2.4% 91.7% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Waling

$5.8 * 1.8% 90% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $20.00 in Waling. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $120 – making Waling the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇵 Waling

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

08:36 8:36 AM

10 h 45 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,867

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Waling 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Waling

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 Waling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 396%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $488 in Waling. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $20.00 in Waling. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Waling, where all-in costs run around $325, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Waling it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Waling – 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 Waling. 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.