Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zell am see

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,307 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zell am see

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 Zell am see actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,307 in Zell am see, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Zell am see $2,307

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,305 in Zell am see, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Zell am see $3,305

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,304 in Zell am see, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Zell am see $4,304

Medellin is about 30% cheaper than Zell am see, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Zell am see sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Zell am see by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$16.93 €15.06

-53.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$84.3 €75.0

-45.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.06 €8.94

-5.57%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.35 €3.87

-28.51%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$3.53 €3.14

-48.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.84 €2.53

-51.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$5.45 €4.85

-44.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.33 €4.74

3.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.67 €1.48

-13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.38 €2.12

-0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.39 €2.13

-29.71%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.68 €4.16

-38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$22.25 €19.79

-54.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$12.68 €11.28

-24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$21.27 €18.92

-33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.90 €2.58

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.52 €2.24

-40.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.29 €2.93

-34.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.12 €3.66

-43.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.48 €2.20

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.19 €2.84

-48.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.14 €1.90

-47.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.28 €1.14

-2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$7.65 €6.81

-47.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.71 €7.74

53.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.31 €1.16

29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.20 €1.96

7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.84 €2.53

-57.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$47.40 €42.16

61.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.92 €2.59

-54.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.86 €0.76

148.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$30.62 €27.24

-72.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.75 €1.56

-25.71%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$30.5K €27.1K

-8.17%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$30.1K €26.8K

17.62%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$341 €304

-49.60%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$15.66 €13.93

-14.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$38.35 €34.11

-25.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$42.40 €37.72

6.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$22.63 €20.13

-24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$15.52 €13.81

-59.54%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$454 €404

69.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$15.7K €14.0K

-42.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$82.2 €73.1

5.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$58.6 €52.1

-2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$109 €97.3

24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$128 €114

-23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$928 €825

13.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$928 €826

-33.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,645 €1,464

15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,293 €1,150

-20.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$7,702 €6,851

-47.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$6,040 €5,372

-72.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.5

212.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zell am see: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Zell am see

$928 40.3% 50.8% $313

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Zell am see

$392 17% 33.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Zell am see

$395 17.2% 84.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Zell am see

$170 7.4% 0% $0

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Zell am see

$281 12.2% 66.9% $113

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Zell am see

$66 2.9% 29.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Zell am see

$73 3.2% 27.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $928 in Zell am see. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $84.0 in Zell am see. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $392 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

06:27 6:27 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,131

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Zell am see 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zell am see

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 Zell am see: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zell am see is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,460 in Zell am see. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $84.0 in Zell am see. 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 $2,307 in Zell am see. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Zell am see at $2,307. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zell am see it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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