Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zagreb

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,772 in Zagreb, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Zagreb $1,772

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,619 in Zagreb, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Zagreb $2,619

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,467 in Zagreb, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Zagreb $3,467

Medellin is about 7% cheaper than Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Zagreb sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Zagreb by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.33 €11.08

-34.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$63.9 €57.5

-26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.01 €7.20

18.60%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.50 €2.25

20.40%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.09 €2.77

-41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.62 €2.35

-46.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.42 €3.07

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.51 €4.05

27.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.27 €1.14

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.60 €1.43

48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.68 €2.41

-33.96%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.95 €3.55

-26.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.58 €13.10

-30.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$11.47 €10.30

-13.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.35 €15.59

-19.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.31 €2.07

71.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.65 €1.48

-6.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.19 €1.96

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.56 €2.30

-14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.36 €1.22

44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.20 €1.08

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.19 €1.07

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.29 €1.16

-3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.08 €5.46

-34.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.07 €9.94

23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.69 €1.51

-1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.46 €2.21

-8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.57 €0.51

105.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$53.2 €47.83

45.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.18 €1.96

-41.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.44 €1.29

42.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$12.39 €11.13

-30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.90 €1.70

-28.95%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.9K €25.1K

21.99%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.0K €23.4K

33.28%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$215 €193

-21.07%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$22.34 €20.07

-39.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$38.73 €34.80

-27.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.65 €43.71

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$18.95 €17.02

-9.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.41 €9.35

-33.62%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$499 €448

59.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,720 €8,733

-6.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$109 €97.6

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$42.23 €37.94

37.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$102 €91.9

31.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$111 €99.3

-11.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$888 €798

35.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$683 €614

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,468 €1,319

38.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,066 €958

-5.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,275 €4,740

-20.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,670 €3,297

-47.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,975 €1,774

-66.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.3

231.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Zagreb

$683 38.5% 6.5% $41

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Zagreb

$314 17.7% 5.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Zagreb

$276 15.6% 30.6% $65

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Zagreb

$202 11.4% 18.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Zagreb

$164 9.2% 3.2% $5.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 30.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 20.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $888 in Zagreb. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zagreb are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $64 in Zagreb. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $314 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Zagreb 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zagreb

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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zagreb is pricier by about 8%, 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 $2,658 in Zagreb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zagreb, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $888 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $64 in Zagreb. 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 $1,772 in Zagreb. That’s a gap of about 8%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,772 in Zagreb, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,772 in Zagreb. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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