Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostersund and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,729 in Ostersund, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Ostersund despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Ostersund
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Ostersund Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,729

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in Ostersund vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Ostersund $1,729
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,687 per month in Ostersund vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Ostersund $2,687
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,644 per month in Ostersund vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Ostersund $3,644
Medellin $3,190

Ostersund costs about 7% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ostersund and Medellin sit above the global median – Ostersund by 28%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 SEK 132

$7.93 COP 25.2K

68.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 SEK 744

$46.13 COP 146.3K

62.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 99.8

$9.50 COP 30.1K

6.00%

Cappuccino

$4.53 SEK 44.86

$3.11 COP 9,866

45.66%

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

$2.56 SEK 25.38

$1.83 COP 5,800

39.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.42

$1.38 COP 4,360

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.7

$3.05 COP 9,672

130.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 SEK 69.0

$5.50 COP 17.4K

26.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.16

$1.45 COP 4,600

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 SEK 29.16

$2.36 COP 7,496

24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 SEK 45.43

$1.68 COP 5,328

172.62%

Eggs

$3.22 SEK 31.91

$2.86 COP 9,077

12.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 SEK 132

$10.19 COP 32.3K

30.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.28 SEK 112

$9.53 COP 30.2K

18.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 SEK 148

$14.04 COP 44.5K

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 SEK 40.73

$4.07 COP 12.9K

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 SEK 27.49

$1.50 COP 4,742

84.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 SEK 34.95

$2.17 COP 6,891

62.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 SEK 38.37

$2.31 COP 7,310

67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.96

$1.93 COP 6,113

-16.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.38

$1.64 COP 5,196

-5.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 SEK 21.82

$1.13 COP 3,571

94.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 SEK 13.87

$1.25 COP 3,954

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SEK 77.8

$3.99 COP 12.6K

96.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 SEK 100

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.38

$1.70 COP 5,384

15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.91

$2.37 COP 7,525

-6.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 SEK 32.96

$1.21 COP 3,827

175.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 SEK 758

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 SEK 57.9

$1.32 COP 4,179

343.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$2.14 COP 6,774

-20.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.8 SEK 583

$8.47 COP 26.8K

594.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.94

$1.30 COP 4,114

39.23%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

18.83%

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

$32.1K SEK 317.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-9.42%

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

$104 SEK 1,031

$172 COP 545.6K

-39.53%

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

$23.74 SEK 235

$13.37 COP 42.4K

77.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.74 SEK 384

$28.73 COP 91.1K

34.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.10 SEK 368

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-17.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.47 SEK 262

$17.04 COP 54.0K

55.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 SEK 147

$6.28 COP 19.9K

135.67%

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

$124 SEK 1,231

$770 COP 2.4M

-83.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-44.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 SEK 909

$86.4 COP 274.0K

6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 SEK 397

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-29.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 SEK 905

$137 COP 432.9K

-33.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 SEK 1,366

$97.9 COP 310.4K

40.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 SEK 7,957

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 SEK 6,094

$616 COP 2.0M

-0.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 SEK 13.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-30.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 SEK 10.0K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-0.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,940 SEK 39.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-2.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,776 SEK 27.5K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

65.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

10.94

-68.46%

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

Last update for Ostersund: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostersund

$615 35.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 0.1% $0.7

Groceries & Markets

Ostersund

$355 20.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 16.9% $60

Eating Out

Ostersund

$259 15%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 35.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostersund

$167 9.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 28.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Ostersund

$162 9.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.7% $7.7

Getting Around

Ostersund

$104 6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 10.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ostersund

$67 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $803 in Ostersund 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Ostersund versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

19:15 7:15 PM

7 h behind Ostersund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ostersund Medellin 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostersund
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

Ostersund vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ostersund is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,593 per month in Ostersund 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 $75.0 in Ostersund 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 $1,729 in Ostersund and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Ostersund at $1,729. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ostersund 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, Ostersund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.