Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zug

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $4,837 in Zug, rent and utilities included – about $38,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
236

Cost of Living Index in Zug
Learn more

Zug Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zug

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $4,837 in Zug, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Zug $4,837

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $7,605 in Zug, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Zug $7,605

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $10.4K in Zug, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Zug $10.4K

Medellin is about 66% cheaper than Zug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Zug sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Zug by 257%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$36.92 CHF 30.52

-77.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$178 CHF 147

-73.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$23.76 CHF 19.64

-61.11%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$7.12 CHF 5.89

-57.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$6.16 CHF 5.09

-70.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$6.03 CHF 4.99

-77.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$9.45 CHF 7.81

-65.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$7.71 CHF 6.37

-27.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,447

$4.00 CHF 3.31

-40.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$4.14 CHF 3.42

-58.94%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$7.88 CHF 6.51

-62.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$27.44 CHF 22.68

-62.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$31.40 CHF 25.96

-68.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$41.61 CHF 34.39

-66.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$3.72 CHF 3.08

11.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.95 CHF 1.61

-21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$2.83 CHF 2.34

-21.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,136

$5.35 CHF 4.42

-57.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-2.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-24.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,712

$2.40 CHF 1.98

-50.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$10.94 CHF 9.05

-64.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$17.81 CHF 14.72

-22.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$2.95 CHF 2.44

-43.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$3.88 CHF 3.21

-38.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$4.88 CHF 4.03

-74.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 246.0K

$161 CHF 133

-51.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$8.84 CHF 7.31

-85.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,748

$6.17 CHF 5.10

-65.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$36.93 CHF 30.53

-77.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,253

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-39.46%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

-9.61%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$39.7K CHF 32.8K

-12.58%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$276 CHF 229

-39.73%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$38.12 CHF 31.52

-64.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$61.7 CHF 51.0

-52.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$121 CHF 99.7

-62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$32.40 CHF 26.78

-46.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$23.71 CHF 19.60

-70.60%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$4,240 CHF 3,505

-81.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

-74.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$168 CHF 138

-47.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$67.5 CHF 55.8

-13.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$154 CHF 127

-9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$272 CHF 224

-63.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$3,874 CHF 3,202

-73.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$2,575 CHF 2,128

-75.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$6,833 CHF 5,648

-72.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$4,953 CHF 4,094

-79.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$31.1K CHF 25.7K

-87.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$21.2K CHF 17.5K

-91.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$7,434 CHF 6,145

-91.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.9

475.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zug: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Zug

$2.6K 53.2% 316% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Zug

$637 13.2% 114% $339

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Zug

$376 7.8% 79.7% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Zug

$297 6.2% 72.1% $125

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Zug

$564 11.7% 230% $393

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Zug

$220 4.5% 131% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Zug

$168 3.5% 185% $109

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $3,874 in Zug. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zug are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $178 in Zug. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $637 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇭 Zug

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

29,251

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,521 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.827 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Zug 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zug

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 Zug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zug is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $7,255 in Zug. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,028 there versus $3,874 in Zug.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $178 in Zug. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $4,837 in Zug. That’s a gap of about 198%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Zug at $4,837. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zug 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.

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