Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,262 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,262

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,262 per month in Portland, ME vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Portland, ME $3,262
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Portland, ME vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Portland, ME $4,710
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,158 per month in Portland, ME vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Portland, ME $6,158
Medellin $3,186

Portland, ME costs about 99% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Portland, ME and Medellin sit above the global median – Portland, ME by 140%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.87 $24.87

$8.09 COP 25.4K

207.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$47.05 COP 148.0K

155.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$9.50 COP 29.9K

56.42%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$3.01 COP 9,485

103.32%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.80 COP 5,660

67.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.41 COP 4,443

75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.18 COP 9,990

153.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$5.75 COP 18.1K

39.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 COP 4,751

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.38 COP 7,480

94.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$1.77 COP 5,573

383.62%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.89 COP 9,093

35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$10.19 COP 32.1K

84.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$9.87 COP 31.1K

4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$13.99 COP 44.0K

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.97 COP 12.5K

16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.55 COP 4,883

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.18 COP 6,867

168.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.18 COP 6,870

213.76%

Potato (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$1.96 COP 6,174

224.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.59 COP 5,000

138.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.15 COP 3,604

177.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 COP 3,911

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$3.96 COP 12.5K

206.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$13.68 COP 43.0K

10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.66 COP 5,221

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.26 COP 7,103

12.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.17 COP 3,674

69.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-21.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.27 COP 3,989

59.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.05 COP 6,442

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 $10.80

$8.55 COP 26.9K

26.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,237

-22.96%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-19.13%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.68%

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

$224 $224

$170 COP 533.7K

31.90%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$13.55 COP 42.6K

412.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$28.07 COP 88.3K

172.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$43.70 COP 137.5K

18.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.22 $39.22

$17.19 COP 54.1K

128.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 $13.96

$6.91 COP 21.7K

102.03%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$797 COP 2.5M

58.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.2 $81.2

$58.0 COP 182.3K

40.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$97.9 COP 307.9K

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 $2,102

$1,208 COP 3.8M

73.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$642 COP 2.0M

165.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 $3,156

$2,028 COP 6.4M

55.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$1,012 COP 3.2M

149.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,509 $5,509

$4,170 COP 13.1M

32.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,978 $3,978

$1,910 COP 6.0M

108.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,598 $4,598

$657 COP 2.1M

599.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.94

-40.59%

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

Last update for Portland, ME: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, ME

$1.7K 52.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 62.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$470 14.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 36.8% $173

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$395 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 57.1% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$370 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 42.8% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$166 5.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.9% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$80 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 27.8% $22

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$78 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 19.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,102 in Portland, ME 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 Portland, ME are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Portland, ME versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h behind Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Portland, ME Medellin 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portland, ME is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,893 per month in Portland, ME 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 $2,102 in Portland, ME.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Portland, ME 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 $3,262 in Portland, ME and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 50% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Portland, ME at $3,262. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portland, ME 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, Portland, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.