Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,799 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Reading
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Reading Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,799

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,799 per month in Reading vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Reading $2,799
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $4,080 per month in Reading vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Reading $4,080
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,362 per month in Reading vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Reading $5,362
Medellin $3,199

Reading costs about 72% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reading and Medellin sit above the global median – Reading by 107%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.69 £20.02

$8.30 COP 26.3K

221.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.5

$46.91 COP 148.7K

100.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 £7.60

$9.24 COP 29.3K

9.74%

Cappuccino

$4.80 £3.60

$3.05 COP 9,676

57.38%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$1.80 COP 5,707

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 £1.98

$1.38 COP 4,382

91.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 £6.58

$3.24 COP 10.3K

170.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$5.56 COP 17.6K

16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.50 COP 4,760

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.37 COP 7,508

-26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$1.70 COP 5,377

71.18%

Eggs

$3.74 £2.81

$2.96 COP 9,379

26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 £8.56

$10.22 COP 32.4K

11.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.49

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-11.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 £9.42

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-9.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.20

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.53 COP 4,839

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.13

$2.22 COP 7,052

27.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$2.27 COP 7,194

44.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.99 COP 6,311

-23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.67 COP 5,285

-18.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 £0.70

$1.18 COP 3,742

-21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.24 COP 3,919

18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.46 £17.60

$3.87 COP 12.3K

506.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 £10.41

$13.78 COP 43.7K

0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.68

$1.66 COP 5,256

34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$2.40 COP 7,615

32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.24 COP 3,944

183.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 £63.1

$78.2 COP 248.0K

7.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.68 £5.01

$1.28 COP 4,044

421.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.55 £3.42

$2.15 COP 6,803

111.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.46 £10.10

$8.37 COP 26.5K

60.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.35 COP 4,288

51.85%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

9.20%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

16.21%

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

$285 £214

$167 COP 528.4K

70.89%

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

$20.65 £15.49

$13.62 COP 43.2K

51.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.43 £34.83

$29.12 COP 92.3K

59.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 £43.29

$45.09 COP 143.0K

27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.85 £15.64

$17.18 COP 54.5K

21.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 £10.02

$6.97 COP 22.1K

91.54%

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

$1,780 £1,335

$790 COP 2.5M

125.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K £22.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

228.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 £57.4

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 £52.0

$58.2 COP 184.4K

19.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 £84.2

$139 COP 440.7K

-19.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.5

$98.9 COP 313.5K

7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 £1,299

$1,028 COP 3.3M

68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 £1,044

$620 COP 2.0M

124.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,932 £2,199

$1,881 COP 6.0M

55.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,686

$1,008 COP 3.2M

123.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,139 £5,355

$3,988 COP 12.6M

79.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,648 £4,237

$1,702 COP 5.4M

231.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,440 £2,581

$663 COP 2.1M

418.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for Reading: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reading

$1.4K 49.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 55.5% $772

Eating Out

Reading

$381 13.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 55.1% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading

$352 12.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 40.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

Reading

$299 10.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 0.3% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Reading

$164 5.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 5.5% $8.9

Getting Around

Reading

$128 4.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 25.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Reading

$84 3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 30.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,731 in Reading versus $1,028 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 run about 419% higher in Reading, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Reading versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Reading

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

6 h behind Reading

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,666

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reading Medellin 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Reading
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

Reading vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reading is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,198 per month in Reading and $2,437 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 $94.0 in Reading and $47.00 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 $2,799 in Reading and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 72%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Reading at $2,799. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reading 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, Reading makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.