Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zilina

For one person, living is cheaper in Zilina: $1,384 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Zilina
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Zilina Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Zilina

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zilina

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,384 in Zilina, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Zilina $1,384

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,054 in Zilina, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Zilina $2,054

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,724 in Zilina, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Zilina $2,724

Medellin costs about 18% more than Zilina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Zilina sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Zilina by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.19 €9.09

-20.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$55.3 €49.32

-14.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.93 €7.08

19.80%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.46 €2.19

22.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.75 €1.56

2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.44 €1.29

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.26 €2.01

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.29 €2.04

151.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.05 €0.94

43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.39 €1.24

71.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.95 €1.74

-9.23%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$3.81 €3.40

-24.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.77 €11.39

-20.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.21 €6.44

36.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.38 €11.04

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.66 €1.48

139.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.03 €1.81

-23.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.41 €2.15

-9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.42 €3.94

-50.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.35 €1.20

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.52 €1.36

4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.67 €1.49

-31.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.83 €0.74

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.24 €5.57

-36.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.75 €5.13

137.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.01 €0.90

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.44 €1.28

56.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.15 €1.03

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$22.09 €19.71

250.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.70 €1.52

-25.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.10 €0.98

86.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$21.95 €19.58

-61.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.77 €1.58

-23.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.9K €22.2K

37.07%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.5K €23.7K

30.71%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$235 €210

-27.77%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.04 €16.99

-28.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$20.11 €17.94

39.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$36.47 €32.54

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$11.35 €10.12

51.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.43 €8.41

-26.72%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$414 €369

92.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,597 €5,886

38.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$65.2 €58.2

29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$28.10 €25.07

106.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$81.2 €72.4

66.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$94.6 €84.4

3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$589 €525

105.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$482 €430

33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$916 €817

121.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$764 €682

32.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,388 €3,023

23.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,900 €2,587

-34.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,391 €1,241

-52.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.79

188.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zilina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Zilina

$482 34.8% 24.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Zilina

$254 18.4% 14.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Zilina

$274 19.8% 29.7% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Zilina

$163 11.8% 3.6% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Zilina

$121 8.8% 28.4% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Zilina

$34 2.5% 63.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Zilina

$55 4% 3.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $589 in Zilina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zilina are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $55 in Zilina. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $254 in Zilina – so Zilina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇰 Zilina

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

81,494

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Zilina 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zilina

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 Zilina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,075 in Zilina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zilina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $589 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $55 in Zilina. 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 $1,384 in Zilina. That makes Zilina about 16% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,384 in Zilina, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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