Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modesto, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,708 in Modesto, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Modesto, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,708

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,708 per month in Modesto, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Modesto, CA $2,708
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,910 per month in Modesto, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Modesto, CA $3,910
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,112 per month in Modesto, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Modesto, CA $5,112
Medellin $3,186

Modesto, CA costs about 65% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Modesto, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Modesto, CA by 99%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.19 $15.19

$8.09 COP 25.4K

87.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$47.05 COP 148.0K

68.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 $8.88

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-6.53%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.01 COP 9,485

79.07%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.80 COP 5,660

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.41 COP 4,443

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.18 COP 9,990

59.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$5.75 COP 18.1K

23.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.51 COP 4,751

-30.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.38 COP 7,480

53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.77 COP 5,573

131.07%

Eggs

$5.54 $5.54

$2.89 COP 9,093

91.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$10.19 COP 32.1K

26.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$9.87 COP 31.1K

35.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.65 $19.65

$13.99 COP 44.0K

40.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.97 COP 12.5K

35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.55 COP 4,883

29.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.18 COP 6,867

154.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.18 COP 6,870

150.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.96 COP 6,174

80.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.59 COP 5,000

84.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.15 COP 3,604

111.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.24 COP 3,911

105.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$3.96 COP 12.5K

191.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.68 COP 43.0K

11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.66 COP 5,221

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.26 COP 7,103

47.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.17 COP 3,674

67.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.49 $40.49

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-47.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.27 COP 3,989

170.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.05 COP 6,442

48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.56 $30.56

$8.55 COP 26.9K

257.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.35 COP 4,237

5.93%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

8.38%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.10%

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

$257 $257

$170 COP 533.7K

51.48%

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

$48.45 $48.45

$13.55 COP 42.6K

257.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$28.07 COP 88.3K

144.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 $37.85

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 $14.77

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-14.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 $11.21

$6.91 COP 21.7K

62.23%

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

$1,836 $1,836

$797 COP 2.5M

130.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

345.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.86 $47.86

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-43.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-32.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$135 COP 424.6K

-29.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 307.9K

23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$1,208 COP 3.8M

7.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$642 COP 2.0M

111.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 $1,824

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-10.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 $2,155

$1,012 COP 3.2M

112.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 $3,619

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-13.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,962 $2,962

$1,910 COP 6.0M

55.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,071 $4,071

$657 COP 2.1M

519.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

10.94

-44.24%

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

Last update for Modesto, CA: 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

Modesto, CA

$1.4K 50.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 52.8% $718

Groceries & Markets

Modesto, CA

$442 16.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 32.8% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modesto, CA

$374 13.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 43.5% $163

Eating Out

Modesto, CA

$269 9.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Modesto, CA

$136 5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 23.8% $33

Getting Around

Modesto, CA

$67 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Modesto, CA

$60 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 4.5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Modesto, CA 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 Modesto, CA are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Modesto, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $442 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Modesto, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

2 h ahead of Modesto, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,266

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Modesto, CA Medellin 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Modesto, 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

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

Yes – Modesto, CA is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,062 per month in Modesto, CA and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,302 in Modesto, CA and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Modesto, CA 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 $2,708 in Modesto, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 65%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Modesto, CA at $2,708. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Modesto, 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, Modesto, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.