Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norfolk and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,351 in Norfolk, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Norfolk
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Norfolk Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Norfolk

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,351

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,351 per month in Norfolk vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Norfolk $2,351
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,303 per month in Norfolk vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Norfolk $3,303
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,255 per month in Norfolk vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Norfolk $4,255
Medellin $3,190

Norfolk costs about 46% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Norfolk and Medellin sit above the global median – Norfolk by 74%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.96 £16.47

$7.93 COP 25.2K

176.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 £55.2

$46.13 COP 146.3K

59.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 £8.48

$9.50 COP 30.1K

19.05%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$3.11 COP 9,866

57.23%

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

$2.80 £2.10

$1.83 COP 5,800

53.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.38 COP 4,360

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 £5.00

$3.05 COP 9,672

118.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 £3.93

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-4.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.45 COP 4,600

15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 £1.15

$2.36 COP 7,496

-35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.68 COP 5,328

27.98%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$2.86 COP 9,077

54.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.34

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 £6.53

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 £11.01

$14.04 COP 44.5K

4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.14

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-29.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.50 COP 4,742

1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 £2.20

$2.17 COP 6,891

35.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 £3.39

$2.31 COP 7,310

95.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.93 COP 6,113

-19.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.64 COP 5,196

-9.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.13 COP 3,571

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.25 COP 3,954

40.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.56 £17.68

$3.99 COP 12.6K

490.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 £7.94

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$1.70 COP 5,384

85.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.33

$2.37 COP 7,525

30.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.21 COP 3,827

122.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.6 £71.8

$76.5 COP 242.5K

25.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 £2.95

$1.32 COP 4,179

197.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.14 COP 6,774

-36.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 £14.13

$8.47 COP 26.8K

122.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.30 COP 4,114

54.62%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

36.74%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

13.51%

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

$313 £235

$172 COP 545.6K

82.17%

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

$20.07 £15.06

$13.37 COP 42.4K

50.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.75 £34.32

$28.73 COP 91.1K

59.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.42 £34.08

$45.24 COP 143.5K

0.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 £8.99

$6.28 COP 19.9K

90.76%

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

$1,260 £945

$770 COP 2.4M

63.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K £9,220

$9,011 COP 28.6M

36.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 £86.4

$86.4 COP 274.0K

33.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 £37.55

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-12.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 £84.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-17.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 £78.9

$97.9 COP 310.4K

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 £829

$1,055 COP 3.3M

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 £731

$616 COP 2.0M

58.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 £1,185

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-16.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 £1,010

$1,023 COP 3.2M

31.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,002 £3,753

$4,059 COP 12.9M

23.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,908 £2,932

$1,678 COP 5.3M

132.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,332 £1,749

$652 COP 2.1M

257.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

10.94

-53.93%

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

Last update for Norfolk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Norfolk

$974 41.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 36.8% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norfolk

$379 16.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 43.5% $165

Eating Out

Norfolk

$330 14%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 48.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Norfolk

$309 13.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 4.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Norfolk

$172 7.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 1.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Norfolk

$117 5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 20.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Norfolk

$69 3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 16.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,105 in Norfolk versus $1,055 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 257% higher in Norfolk, 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 $74.0 in Norfolk versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Norfolk

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

6 h behind Norfolk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,256

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Norfolk Medellin 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Norfolk
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

Norfolk vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Norfolk is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,526 per month in Norfolk and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Norfolk and $46.00 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 $2,351 in Norfolk and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Norfolk at $2,351. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Norfolk 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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