Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson BC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,255 in Nelson BC, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Nelson BC
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Nelson BC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Nelson BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Nelson BC vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Nelson BC $2,255
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,119 per month in Nelson BC vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Nelson BC $3,119
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,984 per month in Nelson BC vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Nelson BC $3,984
Medellin $3,186

Nelson BC costs about 38% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nelson BC and Medellin sit above the global median – Nelson BC by 66%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.29 CA$19.97

$8.09 COP 26.1K

76.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 CA$83.1

$47.05 COP 151.9K

26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 CA$12.60

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-5.05%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.01 COP 9,735

32.56%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$1.80 COP 5,809

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$1.41 COP 4,561

22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$3.18 COP 10.3K

47.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 CA$8.14

$5.75 COP 18.6K

1.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CA$2.87

$1.51 COP 4,876

35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 CA$4.03

$2.38 COP 7,678

21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.88

$1.77 COP 5,720

97.18%

Eggs

$3.14 CA$4.39

$2.89 COP 9,333

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 CA$12.81

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-10.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.60 CA$18.99

$9.87 COP 31.9K

37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.34 CA$29.82

$13.99 COP 45.2K

52.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.91

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-11.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 CA$0.86

$1.55 COP 5,012

-60.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 CA$2.26

$2.18 COP 7,048

-25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$2.18 COP 7,051

114.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 CA$4.51

$1.96 COP 6,337

64.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.39

$1.59 COP 5,132

97.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CA$3.66

$1.15 COP 3,699

127.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 CA$2.76

$1.24 COP 4,014

58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.51 CA$20.27

$3.96 COP 12.8K

266.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.74 CA$19.20

$13.68 COP 44.2K

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 CA$3.65

$1.66 COP 5,359

57.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CA$4.42

$2.26 COP 7,291

39.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 CA$2.14

$1.17 COP 3,771

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.16 CA$51.9

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-51.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$1.27 COP 4,094

129.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 CA$2.45

$2.05 COP 6,612

-14.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.81 CA$48.64

$8.55 COP 27.6K

307.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.78

$1.35 COP 4,349

-5.93%

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

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-16.23%

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

$18.0K CA$25.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-47.99%

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

$128 CA$178

$170 COP 547.8K

-24.83%

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

$44.60 CA$62.3

$13.55 COP 43.8K

229.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CA$81.1

$28.07 COP 90.6K

106.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 CA$80.7

$43.70 COP 141.1K

32.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 CA$15.91

$6.91 COP 22.3K

64.83%

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

$1,018 CA$1,422

$797 COP 2.6M

27.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

82.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.21 CA$67.4

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-43.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 CA$58.3

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-27.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 CA$118

$135 COP 435.8K

-37.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 CA$138

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 CA$1,896

$1,208 COP 3.9M

12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 CA$1,597

$642 COP 2.1M

78.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 CA$3,033

$2,028 COP 6.5M

7.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 CA$2,101

$1,012 COP 3.3M

48.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,498

$657 COP 2.1M

389.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.62

10.94

-57.77%

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

Last update for Nelson BC: 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

Nelson BC

$1.1K 50.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 43.9% $501

Groceries & Markets

Nelson BC

$384 17%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.6% $87

Eating Out

Nelson BC

$240 10.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 29.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nelson BC

$230 10.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 8.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nelson BC

$123 5.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 37.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nelson BC

$81 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 28.6% $23

Getting Around

Nelson BC

$55 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 70.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,357 in Nelson BC 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 Nelson BC are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Nelson BC versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Nelson BC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

2 h ahead of Nelson BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,664

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nelson BC Medellin 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nelson BC
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

Nelson BC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nelson BC is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,382 per month in Nelson BC 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 $1,357 in Nelson BC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Nelson BC 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 $2,255 in Nelson BC and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 27% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,255 in Nelson BC and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nelson BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.