Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zvolen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zvolen: $1,498 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
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Zvolen
Learn more

Zvolen Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Zvolen

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zvolen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,498 in Zvolen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Zvolen $1,498

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,258 in Zvolen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Zvolen $2,258

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,019 in Zvolen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Zvolen $3,019

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.12 €6.39

13.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$26.46 €23.77

77.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.00 €7.19

18.75%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.91 €1.72

57.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.38 €1.24

30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.17 €1.05

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.89 €1.70

68.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.27 €2.04

153.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.94 €0.84

60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.96 €0.86

147.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.03 €1.83

-12.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.41 €3.06

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.07 €8.15

12.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.29 €5.65

56.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.80 €9.70

29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.00 €1.80

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.74 €1.56

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.04 €1.83

6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.42 €3.07

-36.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.14 €1.02

71.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.14 €1.02

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.27 €1.14

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.78 €0.70

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.60 €4.13

-13.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.58 €5.01

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.71 €0.63

133.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.39 €1.25

62.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.69 €1.52

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$27.87 €25.04

177.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.77 €2.49

-54.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.11 €1.00

84.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$22.41 €20.13

-61.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.78 €1.60

-24.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.7K €23.1K

32.32%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.3K €20.0K

55.54%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$112 €101

51.42%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.24 €16.39

-25.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$16.77 €15.07

67.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.04 €27.88

40.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$16.80 €15.09

2.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.12 €9.09

-31.72%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$334 €300

138.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,264 €2,033

302.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$73.1 €65.6

15.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$49.65 €44.60

16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$91.2 €81.9

47.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$73.3 €65.9

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$967 €868

24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$784 €704

-18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,794 €1,611

13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,463 €1,314

-30.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,389 €3,044

23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,562 €2,302

-25.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,238 €1,112

-46.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.88

181.96%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zvolen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Zvolen

$784 52.3% 22.2% $142

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Zvolen

$215 14.4% 27.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Zvolen

$147 9.8% 30.4% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Zvolen

$128 8.6% 24.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Zvolen

$129 8.6% 23.5% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Zvolen

$43 2.9% 54.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Zvolen

$51 3.4% 10.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $967 in Zvolen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 88% higher in Zvolen, 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 $26 in Zvolen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $215 – making Zvolen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇰 Zvolen

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

42,778

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Zvolen 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zvolen

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 Zvolen: 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 $2,246 in Zvolen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zvolen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $967 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Zvolen. 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 $1,498 in Zvolen. That makes Zvolen about 9% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,498 in Zvolen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Zvolen 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.