Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oulu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,878 in Oulu, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Oulu despite lower rent and utilities.

91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
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Oulu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,878

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,878 per month in Oulu vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Oulu $1,878
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,905 per month in Oulu vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Oulu $2,905
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,932 per month in Oulu vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Oulu $3,932
Medellin $3,186

Oulu costs about 15% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oulu and Medellin sit above the global median – Oulu by 38%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 €15.66

$8.09 COP 26.1K

116.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €81.1

$47.05 COP 151.9K

92.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 €13.46

$9.50 COP 30.7K

58.11%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.33

$3.01 COP 9,735

60.47%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$1.80 COP 5,809

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.41 COP 4,561

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 €6.88

$3.18 COP 10.3K

141.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 €7.13

$5.75 COP 18.6K

38.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.51 COP 4,876

-21.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.38 COP 7,678

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$1.77 COP 5,720

57.06%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.84

$2.89 COP 9,333

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 €6.63

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-27.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 €12.25

$9.87 COP 31.9K

38.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.93 €20.55

$13.99 COP 45.2K

63.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-41.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.55 COP 5,012

27.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.18 COP 7,048

-3.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.77

$2.18 COP 7,051

92.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.96 COP 6,337

-50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.59 COP 5,132

3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 €2.41

$1.15 COP 3,699

133.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.24 COP 4,014

29.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.87

$3.96 COP 12.8K

234.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 €11.07

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.24

$1.66 COP 5,359

118.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.26 COP 7,291

36.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.17 COP 3,771

155.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 €56.8

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-18.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 €8.58

$1.27 COP 4,094

654.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.05 COP 6,612

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.69

$8.55 COP 27.6K

548.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.35 COP 4,349

65.93%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

5.43%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

6.65%

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

$116 €104

$170 COP 547.8K

-31.72%

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

$25.74 €23.06

$13.55 COP 43.8K

89.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.15 €18.95

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-24.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 €33.55

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-14.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 €17.33

$17.19 COP 55.5K

12.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.26

$6.91 COP 22.3K

146.45%

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

$519 €465

$797 COP 2.6M

-34.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.9

$84.7 COP 273.5K

7.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 €39.47

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €98.0

$135 COP 435.8K

-18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 €188

$97.9 COP 316.0K

113.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 €760

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-29.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €603

$642 COP 2.1M

4.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,240

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €932

$1,012 COP 3.3M

2.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 €3,338

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-10.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 €1,783

$1,910 COP 6.2M

4.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,504 €2,244

$657 COP 2.1M

281.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

10.94

-62.52%

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

Last update for Oulu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oulu

$673 35.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 4.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Oulu

$356 19%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 16.6% $59

Eating Out

Oulu

$318 16.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Oulu

$204 10.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oulu

$163 8.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 29.8% $49

Getting Around

Oulu

$93 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 0.8% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Oulu

$72 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 19.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $848 in Oulu 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.

Salaries in Oulu are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Oulu versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Oulu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

7 h behind Oulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,651

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oulu Medellin 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Oulu
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

Oulu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oulu is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,817 per month in Oulu 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 Oulu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $848 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Oulu and $47 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 $1,878 in Oulu and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 13% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,878 in Oulu and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,878 in Oulu. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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