Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,693 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,693 per month in Paris vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Paris $2,693
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Paris vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Paris $4,133
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,574 per month in Paris vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Paris $5,574
Medellin $3,186

Paris costs about 64% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Paris and Medellin sit above the global median – Paris by 98%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 €17.30

$8.09 COP 25.4K

138.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €70.0

$47.05 COP 148.0K

65.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.25

$9.50 COP 29.9K

43.58%

Cappuccino

$4.95 €4.45

$3.01 COP 9,485

64.45%

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

$4.67 €4.19

$1.80 COP 5,660

159.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.41 COP 4,443

86.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.65 €6.87

$3.18 COP 9,990

140.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.13

$5.75 COP 18.1K

18.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.51 COP 4,751

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.38 COP 7,480

5.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.77 COP 5,573

58.19%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$2.89 COP 9,093

52.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.02 €19.78

$10.19 COP 32.1K

116.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 €12.23

$9.87 COP 31.1K

37.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.63

$13.99 COP 44.0K

56.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-20.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.55 COP 4,883

45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.18 COP 6,867

34.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 €3.76

$2.18 COP 6,870

92.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.96 COP 6,174

-6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.59 COP 5,000

59.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.15 COP 3,604

62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.24 COP 3,911

-28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 €13.08

$3.96 COP 12.5K

267.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 €8.19

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.66 COP 5,221

61.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.13

$2.26 COP 7,103

54.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.49

$1.17 COP 3,674

136.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 €91.4

$77.4 COP 243.4K

31.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 €7.94

$1.27 COP 3,989

596.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

$2.05 COP 6,442

-30.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.36

$8.55 COP 26.9K

438.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.35 COP 4,237

65.19%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

2.34%

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

$37.9K €34.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

9.23%

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

$252 €226

$170 COP 533.7K

48.35%

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

$15.85 €14.24

$13.55 COP 42.6K

16.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.53

$28.07 COP 88.3K

5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 €35.11

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-10.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 €16.31

$17.19 COP 54.1K

5.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 €14.09

$6.91 COP 21.7K

127.06%

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

$1,749 €1,571

$797 COP 2.5M

119.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K €23.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

183.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$84.7 COP 266.5K

33.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.30

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$135 COP 424.6K

-12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €145

$97.9 COP 307.9K

65.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 €1,457

$1,208 COP 3.8M

34.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 €1,134

$642 COP 2.0M

96.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,788 €3,402

$2,028 COP 6.4M

86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 €2,158

$1,012 COP 3.2M

137.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K €12.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

242.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,642 €8,662

$1,910 COP 6.0M

404.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 €3,195

$657 COP 2.1M

441.19%

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 Paris: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.3K 46.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 49.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$399 14.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.5% $102

Eating Out

Paris

$336 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 49.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$297 11%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 28.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$200 7.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15.6% $31

Getting Around

Paris

$129 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 27.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$70 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 18.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,622 in Paris 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 Paris are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Paris versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

6 h behind Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Paris Medellin 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Paris
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

Paris vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Paris is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,040 per month in Paris 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,622 in Paris.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Paris 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 $2,693 in Paris and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 39% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Paris at $2,693. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paris 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Paris makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.