Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zabrze

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabrze: $1,500 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Zabrze
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Zabrze Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Zabrze

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zabrze

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,500 in Zabrze, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Zabrze $1,500

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,100 in Zabrze, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Zabrze $2,100

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,701 in Zabrze, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Zabrze $2,701

Medellin costs about 9% more than Zabrze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Zabrze sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Zabrze by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.20 zł 40.32

-20.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$35.19 zł 139

33.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.69 zł 34.35

9.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.84 zł 15.19

-21.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.12 zł 8.37

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.91 zł 7.56

-26.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.45 zł 13.66

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.68 zł 18.50

22.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.96 zł 3.80

57.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.20 zł 4.73

98.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.49 zł 5.90

18.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.30 zł 13.03

-12.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.76 zł 30.67

31.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.47 zł 21.61

80.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.94 zł 47.21

17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.02 zł 4.03

289.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.45 zł 5.74

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.41 zł 5.59

54.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.55 zł 10.07

-14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.97 zł 3.85

102.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.78 zł 3.10

103.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.27 zł 5.03

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.61 zł 2.41

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.69 zł 22.48

-30.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.51 zł 25.75

110.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.00 zł 3.96

66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.68 zł 6.62

34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.05 zł 4.17

11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$29.74 zł 118

160.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.79 zł 7.09

-29.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.75 zł 2.95

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.07 zł 39.82

-15.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.62 zł 6.40

-16.67%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.2K zł 119.5K

12.73%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$27.0K zł 106.9K

28.26%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$341 zł 1,347

-50.21%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$9.70 zł 38.35

39.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$17.59 zł 69.6

59.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$38.77 zł 153

12.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$18.99 zł 75.1

-9.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.60 zł 30.04

-9.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$489 zł 1,932

62.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.8K zł 46.6K

-22.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$69.6 zł 275

21.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$31.45 zł 124

84.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$88.3 zł 349

52.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$92.2 zł 364

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$648 zł 2,560

86.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$518 zł 2,046

23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$968 zł 3,828

109.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$804 zł 3,177

25.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,730 zł 10.8K

52.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,154 zł 8,515

-11.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.19

52.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zabrze: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Zabrze

$518 34.5% 19.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Zabrze

$198 13.2% 33.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Zabrze

$368 24.5% 74.2% $157

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Zabrze

$197 13.1% 15.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Zabrze

$127 8.5% 25% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Zabrze

$39 2.6% 57.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Zabrze

$54 3.6% 6.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $648 in Zabrze. 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 $35 in Zabrze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $198 – making Zabrze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇱 Zabrze

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

169,831

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Zabrze 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zabrze

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 Zabrze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,250 in Zabrze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zabrze, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $648 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Zabrze. 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 $1,500 in Zabrze. That makes Zabrze about 9% cheaper.

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

For expats, Zabrze is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 9% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.