Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, NJ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Newark, NJ
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Newark, NJ Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Newark, NJ vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Newark, NJ $2,865
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $4,206 per month in Newark, NJ vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Newark, NJ $4,206
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,546 per month in Newark, NJ vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Newark, NJ $5,546
Medellin $3,249

Newark, NJ costs about 69% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Newark, NJ and Medellin sit above the global median – Newark, NJ by 112%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$8.34 COP 26.9K

143.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$46.53 COP 150.1K

118.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 $14.46

$9.47 COP 30.5K

52.69%

Cappuccino

$6.68 $6.68

$3.13 COP 10.1K

113.42%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.77 COP 5,696

118.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.42 COP 4,594

73.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.15 COP 10.2K

149.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$5.70 COP 18.4K

73.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.53 COP 4,943

-10.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.29 COP 7,389

100.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$1.94 COP 6,273

298.45%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$3.07 COP 9,889

95.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-29.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 $18.01

$10.45 COP 33.7K

72.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$13.96 COP 45.0K

49.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.05 COP 13.1K

74.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.53 COP 4,929

49.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.10 COP 6,786

223.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.29 COP 7,397

194.32%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.11 COP 6,803

118.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.71 COP 5,512

184.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.17 COP 3,774

156.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.58 COP 5,096

72.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$3.91 COP 12.6K

193.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 $19.68

$14.04 COP 45.3K

40.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.76 COP 5,682

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.71 COP 8,746

2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.18 COP 3,805

61.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 $72.0

$76.3 COP 246.0K

-5.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.81 COP 5,827

70.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.13 COP 6,867

3.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 $38.70

$8.13 COP 26.2K

376.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.28 COP 4,113

-15.62%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-18.93%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-24.58%

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

$217 $217

$178 COP 573.2K

22.12%

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

$71.6 $71.6

$13.89 COP 44.8K

415.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$30.74 COP 99.1K

128.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.28 $15.28

$41.94 COP 135.3K

-63.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$16.80 COP 54.2K

3.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 $14.59

$7.47 COP 24.1K

95.31%

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

$2,155 $2,155

$790 COP 2.5M

172.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

176.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-31.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.50 $27.50

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-53.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$138 COP 446.2K

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$98.8 COP 318.7K

38.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,341 COP 4.3M

85.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$667 COP 2.2M

98.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,273 $3,273

$1,976 COP 6.4M

65.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,033 COP 3.3M

96.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$4,098 COP 13.2M

2.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 $3,612

$1,940 COP 6.3M

86.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,912 $3,912

$646 COP 2.1M

505.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

10.94

-38.94%

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

Last update for Newark, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 49.5% $654

Groceries & Markets

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 41% $214

Eating Out

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 53.4% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 38% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 11.3% $18

Getting Around

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 27.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,489 in Newark, NJ versus $1,341 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 Newark, NJ are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Newark, NJ versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $521 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

Same time as Newark, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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

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Newark, NJ
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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

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

Yes – Newark, NJ is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,297 per month in Newark, NJ and $2,538 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 $1,341 there versus $2,489 in Newark, NJ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Newark, NJ 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 $2,865 in Newark, NJ and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 41% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Newark, NJ at $2,865. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newark, 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.

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