Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,555 per month in Milan vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Milan $2,555
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,859 per month in Milan vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Milan $3,859
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Milan vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Milan $5,163
Medellin $3,186

Milan costs about 56% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Milan and Medellin sit above the global median – Milan by 88%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.85

$8.09 COP 25.4K

173.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €80.0

$47.05 COP 148.0K

89.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.99

$9.50 COP 29.9K

40.53%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.92

$3.01 COP 9,485

-28.90%

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

$3.68 €3.31

$1.80 COP 5,660

104.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.41 COP 4,443

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.26

$3.18 COP 9,990

118.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.09

$5.75 COP 18.1K

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.51 COP 4,751

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.38 COP 7,480

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

108.47%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.51

$2.89 COP 9,093

73.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.94

$10.19 COP 32.1K

128.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.24

$9.87 COP 31.1K

49.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.57

$13.99 COP 44.0K

63.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-25.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.55 COP 4,883

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$2.18 COP 6,867

48.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.87

$2.18 COP 6,870

97.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.96 COP 6,174

15.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.59 COP 5,000

25.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.15 COP 3,604

54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$1.24 COP 3,911

-50.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.51

$3.96 COP 12.5K

83.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.78

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-28.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.74

$1.66 COP 5,222

16.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.26 COP 7,104

5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.17 COP 3,674

109.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €39.04

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-43.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.85

$1.27 COP 3,989

500.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.05 COP 6,442

11.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.5

$8.55 COP 26.9K

661.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.35 COP 4,237

62.96%

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

$36.3K €32.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

6.69%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

7.96%

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

$248 €223

$170 COP 533.7K

46.04%

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

$10.29 €9.25

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-24.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.69

$28.07 COP 88.3K

5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.4

$43.70 COP 137.5K

89.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.14

$17.19 COP 54.1K

95.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$6.91 COP 21.7K

64.69%

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

$939 €844

$797 COP 2.5M

17.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

105.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €91.0

$84.7 COP 266.5K

19.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.48

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-14.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$135 COP 424.6K

-14.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$97.9 COP 307.9K

67.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,585

$1,208 COP 3.8M

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,046

$642 COP 2.0M

81.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,081

$2,028 COP 6.4M

69.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,774

$1,012 COP 3.2M

95.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,501

$4,170 COP 13.1M

153.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,690

$1,910 COP 6.0M

173.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,942

$657 COP 2.1M

228.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

10.94

-70.93%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 44.9% $523

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 29.1% $122

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 45.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 26.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 12.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45.5% $48

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 29.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Milan 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 Milan are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Milan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $419 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

6 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Medellin 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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

Milan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Milan is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,833 per month in Milan 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,764 in Milan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Milan 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 $2,555 in Milan and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 56%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Milan at $2,555. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,555 in Milan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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