Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montclair, NJ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Montclair, NJ
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Montclair, NJ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,899

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,899 per month in Montclair, NJ vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Montclair, NJ $2,899
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,264 per month in Montclair, NJ vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Montclair, NJ $4,264
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,629 per month in Montclair, NJ vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Montclair, NJ $5,629
Medellin $3,186

Montclair, NJ costs about 77% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montclair, NJ and Medellin sit above the global median – Montclair, NJ by 113%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$8.09 COP 25.4K

147.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

71.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$9.50 COP 29.9K

38.32%

Cappuccino

$6.35 $6.35

$3.01 COP 9,485

110.96%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.80 COP 5,660

36.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.41 COP 4,443

3.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.18 COP 9,990

155.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$5.75 COP 18.1K

24.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.51 COP 4,751

-15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.38 COP 7,480

88.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.77 COP 5,573

241.81%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$2.89 COP 9,093

112.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$10.19 COP 32.1K

35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$9.87 COP 31.1K

3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.41 $19.41

$13.99 COP 44.0K

38.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.97 COP 12.5K

52.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.55 COP 4,883

45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.18 COP 6,867

93.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.18 COP 6,870

149.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.96 COP 6,174

60.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.59 COP 5,000

88.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.15 COP 3,604

152.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.24 COP 3,911

118.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 $14.55

$3.96 COP 12.5K

267.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$13.68 COP 43.0K

10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.66 COP 5,221

12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.26 COP 7,103

57.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.27 COP 3,989

140.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.05 COP 6,442

6.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$8.55 COP 26.9K

399.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.35 COP 4,237

-16.30%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-19.03%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-26.63%

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

$170 $170

$170 COP 533.7K

0.44%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$13.55 COP 42.6K

280.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

80.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.8 $80.8

$43.70 COP 137.5K

84.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$20.23 $20.23

$6.91 COP 21.7K

192.76%

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

$1,998 $1,998

$797 COP 2.5M

150.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

77.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-17.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-12.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$135 COP 424.6K

-25.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 307.9K

22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 $2,261

$1,208 COP 3.8M

87.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$642 COP 2.0M

140.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,631 $3,631

$2,028 COP 6.4M

79.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 $2,557

$1,012 COP 3.2M

152.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

10.94

-37.84%

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

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montclair, NJ

$1.5K 53.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 58.3% $898

Groceries & Markets

Montclair, NJ

$451 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 34.1% $154

Eating Out

Montclair, NJ

$347 12%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.1% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montclair, NJ

$273 9.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 22.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Montclair, NJ

$154 5.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Montclair, NJ

$121 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 52.5% $64

Getting Around

Montclair, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 569% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,261 in Montclair, NJ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Montclair, NJ versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h behind Montclair, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,669

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montclair, NJ Medellin 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montclair, NJ
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

Montclair, NJ vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montclair, NJ is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,348 per month in Montclair, NJ 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 $2,261 in Montclair, NJ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Montclair, NJ and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Montclair, NJ, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Montclair, NJ at $2,899. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montclair, NJ 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.