Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novara and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,483 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,483

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,483 per month in Novara vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Novara $1,483
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,293 per month in Novara vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Novara $2,293
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $3,103 per month in Novara vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Novara $3,103
Medellin $3,199

Novara is about 9% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Novara and Medellin sit above the global median – Novara by 9%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.92

$8.30 COP 26.3K

102.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.3

$46.91 COP 148.7K

20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.12

$9.24 COP 29.3K

10.93%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.55

$3.05 COP 9,676

-42.95%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$1.80 COP 5,707

92.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.38 COP 4,382

24.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.96

$3.24 COP 10.3K

71.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.52

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-8.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.50 COP 4,760

-7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.37 COP 7,508

-17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.70 COP 5,377

69.41%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$2.96 COP 9,379

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 €10.14

$10.22 COP 32.4K

11.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.79

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-10.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 €11.76

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-4.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-38.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.46

$1.53 COP 4,839

7.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.22 COP 7,052

53.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.27 COP 7,194

-4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.99 COP 6,311

-2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.67 COP 5,285

-31.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.18 COP 3,742

-12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.24 COP 3,919

-39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.55

$3.87 COP 12.3K

60.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-59.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.66 COP 5,256

10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.40 COP 7,615

-5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.24 COP 3,944

36.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 €34.01

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.87

$1.28 COP 4,044

240.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.06

$2.15 COP 6,803

-44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.82 €30.97

$8.37 COP 26.5K

316.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.35 COP 4,288

51.85%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-22.67%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-3.68%

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

$176 €157

$167 COP 528.4K

5.86%

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

$10.41 €9.26

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-23.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 €26.90

$29.12 COP 92.3K

3.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.3 €69.6

$45.09 COP 143.0K

73.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 €16.86

$17.18 COP 54.5K

10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$6.97 COP 22.1K

63.41%

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

$517 €460

$790 COP 2.5M

-34.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,907 €8,813

$9,041 COP 28.7M

9.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €110

$87.8 COP 278.4K

41.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 €30.27

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 €49.40

$139 COP 440.7K

-60.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €123

$98.9 COP 313.5K

40.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €389

$620 COP 2.0M

-29.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €698

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-22.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,850 €2,535

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-28.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 €1,666

$1,702 COP 5.4M

10.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,082 €1,852

$663 COP 2.1M

213.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

10.94

-66.91%

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

Last update for Novara: 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

Novara

$438 29.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 41.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Novara

$269 18.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 10.7% $29

Eating Out

Novara

$245 16.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 30.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novara

$217 14.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 3.5% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Novara

$158 10.7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 9.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Novara

$101 6.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 41.6% $42

Getting Around

Novara

$55 3.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 72% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $644 in Novara 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 214% higher in Novara, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Novara versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Novara vs $298 in Medellin – so Novara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Novara

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

7 h behind Novara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,910

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novara Medellin 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Novara
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

Novara vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,225 per month in Novara 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 Novara, 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 $57.0 in Novara 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 $1,483 in Novara and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Novara, where all-in costs run around $1,483, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Novara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novara – 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 Novara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.