Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,643 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,643

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,643 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $2,643
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,817 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $3,817
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,991 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $4,991
Medellin $3,186

Raleigh, NC costs about 61% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Raleigh, NC and Medellin sit above the global median – Raleigh, NC by 94%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 $21.90

$8.09 COP 26.1K

170.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$47.05 COP 151.7K

87.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$9.50 COP 30.6K

20.42%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.01 COP 9,722

86.05%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.80 COP 5,801

57.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 COP 4,554

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.18 COP 10.2K

92.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$5.75 COP 18.5K

20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.51 COP 4,869

-41.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.38 COP 7,667

59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.77 COP 5,712

79.10%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.89 COP 9,320

65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$10.19 COP 32.9K

48.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-1.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$13.99 COP 45.1K

27.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.97 COP 12.8K

66.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.55 COP 5,005

-18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.18 COP 7,039

104.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.18 COP 7,041

163.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.96 COP 6,328

48.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.59 COP 5,125

127.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 COP 3,694

87.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.24 COP 4,009

78.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$3.96 COP 12.8K

118.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$13.68 COP 44.1K

10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.66 COP 5,352

34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.26 COP 7,281

21.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.17 COP 3,766

4.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.38 $40.38

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-47.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.27 COP 4,089

129.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.05 COP 6,603

-6.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.79 $17.79

$8.55 COP 27.6K

108.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.35 COP 4,343

-25.19%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-9.53%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-25.49%

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

$185 $185

$170 COP 547.0K

9.27%

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

$56.7 $56.7

$13.55 COP 43.7K

318.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$28.07 COP 90.5K

144.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 $33.01

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-24.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 $5.90

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-65.68%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$6.91 COP 22.3K

113.31%

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

$1,317 $1,317

$797 COP 2.6M

65.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

163.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-3.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$135 COP 435.2K

-24.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$97.9 COP 315.6K

62.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,208 COP 3.9M

41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$642 COP 2.1M

101.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,028 COP 6.5M

39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 $1,915

$1,012 COP 3.3M

89.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 $4,556

$4,170 COP 13.4M

9.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$1,910 COP 6.2M

10.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,605 $4,605

$657 COP 2.1M

600.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

10.94

-39.58%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: 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

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.3% $649

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$411 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 27.7% $114

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$341 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.3% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$311 11.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 32% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$170 6.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.4% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$62 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Raleigh, NC 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 Raleigh, NC are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Raleigh, NC versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

Same time as Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Raleigh, NC Medellin 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
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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

Raleigh, NC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Raleigh, NC is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,964 per month in Raleigh, NC 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 $1,715 in Raleigh, NC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Raleigh, NC 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 $2,643 in Raleigh, NC and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 38% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Raleigh, NC at $2,643. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Raleigh, NC 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, Raleigh, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.