Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,528 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merced, CA 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 Merced, CA and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,528 per month in Merced, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Merced, CA $2,528
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,698 per month in Merced, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Merced, CA $3,698
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,868 per month in Merced, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Merced, CA $4,868
Medellin $3,190

Merced, CA costs about 57% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Merced, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Merced, CA by 87%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 $17.30

$7.93 COP 25.2K

118.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 $39.53

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-14.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$9.50 COP 30.1K

27.68%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.11 COP 9,866

82.32%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.83 COP 5,800

34.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.38 COP 4,360

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$3.05 COP 9,672

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$5.50 COP 17.4K

84.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.45 COP 4,600

-14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.36 COP 7,496

83.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.68 COP 5,328

148.81%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$2.86 COP 9,077

98.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$10.19 COP 32.3K

89.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$9.53 COP 30.2K

49.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 $21.62

$14.04 COP 44.5K

53.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$4.07 COP 12.9K

9.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.50 COP 4,742

35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.17 COP 6,891

149.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.31 COP 7,310

132.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.93 COP 6,113

80.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.64 COP 5,196

80.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.13 COP 3,571

115.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.25 COP 3,954

105.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$3.99 COP 12.6K

197.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$13.35 COP 42.3K

18.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.70 COP 5,384

42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.37 COP 7,525

43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.21 COP 3,827

23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-21.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.32 COP 4,179

131.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.14 COP 6,774

-22.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$8.47 COP 26.8K

212.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.30 COP 4,114

1.54%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

33.10%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.24%

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

$237 $237

$172 COP 545.6K

37.98%

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

$29.93 $29.93

$13.37 COP 42.4K

123.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.7 $82.7

$28.73 COP 91.1K

187.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.75 $32.75

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 $14.11

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-17.19%

Cinema Ticket

$16.87 $16.87

$6.28 COP 19.9K

168.63%

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

$1,851 $1,851

$770 COP 2.4M

140.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

349.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-30.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-11.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$137 COP 432.9K

-26.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 310.4K

22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$1,055 COP 3.3M

55.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 $1,082

$616 COP 2.0M

75.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$1,892 COP 6.0M

6.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 $1,905

$1,023 COP 3.2M

86.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 $2,890

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-28.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,896 $2,896

$1,678 COP 5.3M

72.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 $3,329

$652 COP 2.1M

410.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

10.94

-41.86%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 43.1% $466

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$479 19%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 38.5% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$350 13.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 38.8% $136

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 48.1% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$149 5.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$77 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 20.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,638 in Merced, CA 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 410% higher in Merced, CA, 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 $40.00 in Merced, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $479 in Merced, CA vs $295 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

2 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merced, CA Medellin 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, CA
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

Merced, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merced, CA is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,793 per month in Merced, CA and $2,421 in Medellin. 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 $40.00 in Merced, CA and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,528 in Merced, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Merced, CA at $2,528. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merced, CA 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, Merced, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.