Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noord and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,559 in Noord, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Noord

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,559

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Noord vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Noord $2,559
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,101 per month in Noord vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Noord $4,101
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,644 per month in Noord vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Noord $5,644
Medellin $3,186

Noord costs about 56% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Noord and Medellin sit above the global median – Noord by 88%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.43 AWG 45.50

$8.09 COP 26.1K

214.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 AWG 172

$47.05 COP 151.9K

104.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 AWG 27.09

$9.50 COP 30.7K

59.37%

Cappuccino

$2.98 AWG 5.34

$3.01 COP 9,735

-1.00%

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

$2.45 AWG 4.39

$1.80 COP 5,809

36.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 AWG 3.06

$1.41 COP 4,561

21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 AWG 13.59

$3.18 COP 10.3K

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 AWG 15.05

$5.75 COP 18.6K

46.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 AWG 3.42

$1.51 COP 4,876

26.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 AWG 5.24

$2.38 COP 7,678

23.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 AWG 5.01

$1.77 COP 5,720

58.19%

Eggs

$6.28 AWG 11.24

$2.89 COP 9,333

117.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AWG 22.55

$10.19 COP 32.9K

23.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 AWG 16.79

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-4.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.10 AWG 21.66

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-13.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 AWG 8.31

$3.97 COP 12.8K

16.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 AWG 4.10

$1.55 COP 5,012

47.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 AWG 8.82

$2.18 COP 7,048

126.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 AWG 6.17

$2.18 COP 7,051

58.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 AWG 3.97

$1.96 COP 6,337

13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 AWG 3.55

$1.59 COP 5,132

25.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 AWG 4.78

$1.15 COP 3,699

132.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 AWG 2.70

$1.24 COP 4,014

21.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 AWG 18.10

$3.96 COP 12.8K

155.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.97 AWG 17.84

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.76 AWG 10.31

$1.66 COP 5,359

246.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 AWG 8.05

$2.26 COP 7,291

99.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.87 AWG 5.13

$1.35 COP 4,349

112.59%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$198 AWG 354

$170 COP 547.8K

16.49%

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

$69.3 AWG 124

$13.55 COP 43.8K

411.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.1 AWG 177

$28.07 COP 90.6K

252.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 AWG 2,636

$1,208 COP 3.9M

21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 AWG 2,612

$642 COP 2.1M

127.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 AWG 5,611

$2,028 COP 6.5M

54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 AWG 5,630

$1,012 COP 3.3M

210.96%

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)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Noord: 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

Noord

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Noord

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noord

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Noord

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Noord

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Noord

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Noord

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,473 in Noord 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 $96 in Noord versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Noord

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

1 h behind Noord

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,193

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 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 AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Noord Medellin 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Noord
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

Noord vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Noord is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Noord 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 $1,473 in Noord.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Noord, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Noord and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Noord at $2,559. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noord it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,559 in Noord. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.