Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Charleston, SC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,932 in North Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in North Charleston, SC
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North Charleston, SC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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North Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,932

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,932 per month in North Charleston, SC vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

North Charleston, SC $2,932
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $4,243 per month in North Charleston, SC vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

North Charleston, SC $4,243
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,554 per month in North Charleston, SC vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

North Charleston, SC $5,554
Medellin $3,199

North Charleston, SC costs about 80% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both North Charleston, SC and Medellin sit above the global median – North Charleston, SC by 116%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$8.30 COP 26.3K

141.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 $92.3

$46.91 COP 148.7K

96.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$9.24 COP 29.3K

28.35%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.05 COP 9,676

94.43%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$1.80 COP 5,707

62.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.38 COP 4,382

82.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.24 COP 10.3K

82.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$5.56 COP 17.6K

42.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 COP 4,760

-31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.37 COP 7,508

58.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.70 COP 5,377

178.24%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$2.96 COP 9,379

72.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-27.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.76 $14.76

$9.74 COP 30.9K

51.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.30 $20.30

$13.90 COP 44.1K

46.04%

Apples (1kg)

$8.26 $8.26

$4.13 COP 13.1K

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.53 COP 4,839

15.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.22 COP 7,052

130.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.27 COP 7,194

181.94%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.99 COP 6,311

119.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.67 COP 5,285

91.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.18 COP 3,742

113.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.24 COP 3,919

65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.94 $8.94

$3.87 COP 12.3K

131.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$13.78 COP 43.7K

11.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.66 COP 5,256

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.40 COP 7,615

23.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.24 COP 3,944

99.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.53 $49.53

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-36.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.28 COP 4,044

138.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.15 COP 6,803

-41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.64 $32.64

$8.37 COP 26.5K

289.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 COP 4,288

-26.67%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-22.98%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.63%

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

$223 $223

$167 COP 528.4K

33.91%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

457.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

195.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.45 $17.45

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-61.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$6.97 COP 22.1K

97.85%

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

$920 $920

$790 COP 2.5M

16.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

103.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-25.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.10 $45.10

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-22.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$139 COP 440.7K

-19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$98.9 COP 313.5K

32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$1,028 COP 3.3M

100.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$620 COP 2.0M

140.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 $2,429

$1,881 COP 6.0M

29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$1,008 COP 3.2M

131.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,844 $2,844

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-28.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,898 $2,898

$1,702 COP 5.4M

70.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,763 $3,763

$663 COP 2.1M

467.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for North Charleston, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Charleston, SC

$1.5K 50.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 58.4% $870

Groceries & Markets

North Charleston, SC

$450 15.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 33.8% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Charleston, SC

$385 13.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 45.6% $176

Eating Out

North Charleston, SC

$334 11.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 48.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

North Charleston, SC

$159 5.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 8.7% $14

Getting Around

North Charleston, SC

$69 2.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 38.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

North Charleston, SC

$45 1.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 31.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,063 in North Charleston, SC 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 467% higher in North Charleston, SC, 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 $92.0 in North Charleston, SC versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Charleston, SC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h behind North Charleston, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,471

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

North Charleston, SC Medellin 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

North Charleston, SC
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

North Charleston, SC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Charleston, SC is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,397 per month in North Charleston, SC and $2,437 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 $92.0 in North Charleston, SC and $47.00 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 $2,932 in North Charleston, SC and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in North Charleston, SC at $2,932. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Charleston, SC 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, North Charleston, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.