Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Messina: $1,379 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,379

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Messina vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Messina $1,379
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,392 per month in Messina vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Messina $2,392
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,404 per month in Messina vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Messina $3,404
Medellin $3,186

Messina is about 16% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 €15.14

$8.09 COP 26.1K

108.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.7

$47.05 COP 151.7K

44.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 €11.12

$9.50 COP 30.6K

30.63%

Cappuccino

$1.97 €1.77

$3.01 COP 9,722

-34.55%

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

$2.36 €2.11

$1.80 COP 5,801

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.41 COP 4,554

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 €4.07

$3.18 COP 10.2K

43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-42.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.51 COP 4,869

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.38 COP 7,667

-22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.77 COP 5,712

54.80%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.58

$2.89 COP 9,320

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.49 €12.97

$10.19 COP 32.9K

42.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.55 €9.45

$9.87 COP 31.8K

6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 €15.06

$13.99 COP 45.1K

20.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-26.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.55 COP 5,005

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.18 COP 7,039

-47.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.18 COP 7,041

55.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.96 COP 6,328

-66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.59 COP 5,125

-4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.15 COP 3,694

23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.36

$1.24 COP 4,009

-67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.96 COP 12.8K

73.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.15

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-57.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.66 COP 5,352

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.08

$2.26 COP 7,281

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.17 COP 3,766

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.21 €36.91

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-46.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.12

$1.27 COP 4,089

350.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.05 COP 6,603

-44.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.73 €34.68

$8.55 COP 27.6K

352.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.35 COP 4,343

51.85%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

2.56%

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

$31.2K €28.0K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-9.93%

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

$178 €159

$170 COP 547.0K

4.76%

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

$10.17 €9.11

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-24.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.62 €22.94

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-8.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 €41.83

$43.70 COP 140.9K

6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 €14.84

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 €8.58

$6.91 COP 22.3K

38.49%

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

$337 €302

$797 COP 2.6M

-57.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,512 €4,936

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-39.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 €63.8

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-15.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.95 €27.72

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-46.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 €77.8

$135 COP 435.2K

-35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$97.9 COP 315.6K

28.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 €468

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-56.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 €334

$642 COP 2.1M

-41.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 €1,074

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-40.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €981

$1,012 COP 3.3M

8.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,011 €1,801

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-51.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 €1,482

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-13.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,675 €1,500

$657 COP 2.1M

154.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

10.94

-69.01%

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

Last update for Messina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Messina

$373 27.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 71.9% $268

Groceries & Markets

Messina

$287 20.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 3.7% $10

Eating Out

Messina

$240 17.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 29.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Messina

$214 15.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Messina

$142 10.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Messina

$66 4.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Messina

$59 4.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 57.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Messina versus $1,208 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 in Messina are about 2.5 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 $68 in Messina versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Messina vs $297 in Medellin – so Messina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Messina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

10:34 10:34 AM

6 h behind Messina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,734

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Messina Medellin 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Messina
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

Messina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,069 per month in Messina and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Messina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Messina and $47 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 $1,379 in Messina and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Messina about 16% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,379 in Messina and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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