Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mendrisio
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,034
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendrisio and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mendrisio and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,034 per month in Mendrisio vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mendrisio $3,034
  • Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,758 per month in Mendrisio vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mendrisio $3,758
  • Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,483 per month in Mendrisio vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Mendrisio $4,483
  • Medellin $3,190

Mendrisio costs about 88% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mendrisio and Medellin sit above the global median – Mendrisio by 125%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$34.26 CHF 28.21
$7.93 COP 25.2K
332.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$177 CHF 146
$46.13 COP 146.3K
283.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.99 CHF 15.64
$9.50 COP 30.1K
99.89%
Cappuccino
$4.80 CHF 3.96
$3.11 COP 9,866
54.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 CHF 4.46
$1.83 COP 5,800
195.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 CHF 3.60
$1.38 COP 4,360
216.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.36 CHF 6.88
$3.05 COP 9,672
174.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.03 CHF 5.79
$5.50 COP 17.4K
27.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 CHF 1.80
$1.45 COP 4,600
50.34%
White Bread (500g)
$3.70 CHF 3.04
$2.36 COP 7,496
56.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.15 CHF 3.42
$1.68 COP 5,328
147.02%
Eggs
$7.07 CHF 5.83
$2.86 COP 9,077
147.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$25.44 CHF 20.95
$10.19 COP 32.3K
149.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$28.11 CHF 23.15
$9.53 COP 30.2K
194.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.04 CHF 32.15
$14.04 COP 44.5K
178.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 CHF 2.60
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-22.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 CHF 1.40
$1.50 COP 4,742
13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 CHF 2.11
$2.17 COP 6,891
17.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.49 CHF 5.35
$2.31 COP 7,310
180.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 CHF 1.52
$1.93 COP 6,113
-4.66%
Onion (1kg)
$2.13 CHF 1.76
$1.64 COP 5,196
29.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 CHF 1.93
$1.13 COP 3,571
107.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 CHF 0.96
$1.25 COP 3,954
-7.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.74 CHF 8.84
$3.99 COP 12.6K
169.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.64 CHF 12.06
$13.35 COP 42.3K
9.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.36 CHF 2.77
$1.70 COP 5,384
97.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 CHF 3.36
$2.37 COP 7,525
72.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.03 CHF 2.50
$1.21 COP 3,827
150.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.07 CHF 5.82
$1.32 COP 4,179
435.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.38 CHF 4.43
$2.14 COP 6,774
151.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$78.3 CHF 64.5
$8.47 COP 26.8K
824.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 CHF 1.81
$1.30 COP 4,114
69.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K CHF 28.5K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
23.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.6K CHF 31.8K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
8.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$304 CHF 250
$172 COP 545.6K
76.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.15 CHF 20.71
$13.37 COP 42.4K
88.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.38 CHF 39.85
$28.73 COP 91.1K
68.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.1 CHF 60.2
$45.24 COP 143.5K
61.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$21.74 CHF 17.91
$6.28 COP 19.9K
246.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,187 CHF 2,625
$770 COP 2.4M
313.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.5K CHF 31.7K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
326.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 CHF 87.8
$86.4 COP 274.0K
23.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.52 CHF 39.14
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-16.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$164 CHF 135
$137 COP 432.9K
20.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$166 CHF 137
$97.9 COP 310.4K
69.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,381 CHF 1,137
$1,055 COP 3.3M
30.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,199 CHF 987
$616 COP 2.0M
94.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mendrisio
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,944 CHF 5,719
$652 COP 2.1M
964.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.37
10.94
-78.34%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mendrisio
$1.2K
Medellin
$616 48.6% $583
Groceries & Markets
Mendrisio
$594
Medellin
$295 50.4% $299
Eating Out
Mendrisio
$484
Medellin
$168 65.2% $315
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mendrisio
$377
Medellin
$214 43.2% $163
Clothing & Footwear
Mendrisio
$218
Medellin
$170 22% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Mendrisio
$117
Medellin
$58 50.4% $59
Getting Around
Mendrisio
$46 *
Medellin
$93 103% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,381 in Mendrisio versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 964% higher in Mendrisio, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Mendrisio versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $594 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Mendrisio
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
06:16 6:16 AM
23:16 11:16 PM
7 h behind Mendrisio
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,562
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mendrisio Medellin 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mendrisio
  • Medellin

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
Mendrisio vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Mendrisio?
Yes – Mendrisio is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,551 per month in Mendrisio and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Mendrisio or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Mendrisio and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Mendrisio and in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 102% more in Mendrisio, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Mendrisio or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Mendrisio at $3,034. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendrisio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Mendrisio or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Mendrisio or Medellin?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mendrisio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Mendrisio vs other spots: cost of living compared

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