Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New Bedford, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,753
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $2,753
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $3,820
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $4,887
  • Medellin $3,199

New Bedford, MA costs about 69% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Bedford, MA and Medellin sit above the global median – New Bedford, MA by 103%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.68 $19.68
$8.30 COP 26.3K
137.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.1 $59.1
$46.91 COP 148.7K
26.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.95 $5.95
$9.24 COP 29.3K
-35.61%
Cappuccino
$4.11 $4.11
$3.05 COP 9,676
34.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 $2.31
$1.80 COP 5,707
28.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.38 COP 4,382
-10.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$3.24 COP 10.3K
86.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 $4.08
$5.56 COP 17.6K
-26.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.50 COP 4,760
-32.67%
White Bread (500g)
$4.58 $4.58
$2.37 COP 7,508
93.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$16.26 $16.26
$1.70 COP 5,377
856.47%
Eggs
$6.42 $6.42
$2.96 COP 9,379
116.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.57 $10.57
$10.22 COP 32.4K
3.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.74 $10.74
$9.74 COP 30.9K
10.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.16 $19.16
$13.90 COP 44.1K
37.84%
Apples (1kg)
$5.38 $5.38
$4.13 COP 13.1K
30.27%
Banana (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$1.53 COP 4,839
192.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 $3.38
$2.22 COP 7,052
52.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 $3.01
$2.27 COP 7,194
32.60%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.99 COP 6,311
11.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.41 $2.41
$1.67 COP 5,285
44.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.18 COP 3,742
133.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.24 COP 3,919
132.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.07 $13.07
$3.87 COP 12.3K
237.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.85 $16.85
$13.78 COP 43.7K
22.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.66 COP 5,256
15.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$2.40 COP 7,615
18.33%
🚌 Getting Around
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.24 COP 3,944
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$78.2 COP 248.0K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.12 $6.12
$1.28 COP 4,044
378.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.15 COP 6,803
2.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.37 COP 26.5K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.35 COP 4,288
-19.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K $28.2K
$34.8K COP 110.2M
-18.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$34.7K COP 110.0M
-23.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$181 $181
$167 COP 528.4K
8.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.85 $36.85
$13.62 COP 43.2K
170.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.6 $58.6
$29.12 COP 92.3K
101.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.95 $28.95
$45.09 COP 143.0K
-35.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.43 $12.43
$6.97 COP 22.1K
78.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,133 $2,133
$790 COP 2.5M
169.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$9,041 COP 28.7M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.67 $38.67
$87.8 COP 278.4K
-55.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.01 $16.01
$58.2 COP 184.4K
-72.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.5 $99.5
$139 COP 440.7K
-28.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$98.9 COP 313.5K
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,869 $1,869
$1,028 COP 3.3M
81.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 $1,581
$620 COP 2.0M
155.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,615 $2,615
$1,881 COP 6.0M
39.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,341 $2,341
$1,008 COP 3.2M
132.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,988 COP 12.6M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,702 COP 5.4M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Bedford, MA
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,641 $4,641
$663 COP 2.1M
599.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.42
10.94
-50.46%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Bedford, MA
$1.6K
Medellin
$619 60.8% $962
Groceries & Markets
New Bedford, MA
$478
Medellin
$298 37.7% $180
Eating Out
New Bedford, MA
$277
Medellin
$171 38.3% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Bedford, MA
$277
Medellin
$209 24.3% $67
Clothing & Footwear
New Bedford, MA
$69 *
Medellin
$173 149% $103
Sport & Entertainment
New Bedford, MA
$54
Medellin
$59 9.7% $5.2
Getting Around
New Bedford, MA
$17 *
Medellin
$95 456% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $1,028 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 run about 600% higher in New Bedford, MA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $478 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
04:11 4:11 AM
03:11 3:11 AM
1 h behind New Bedford, MA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
92,538
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New Bedford, MA Medellin 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New Bedford, MA
  • 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
New Bedford, MA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than New Bedford, MA?
Yes – New Bedford, MA is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, MA and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in New Bedford, MA or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in New Bedford, MA and in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 60% more in New Bedford, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in New Bedford, MA or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is New Bedford, MA or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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