Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redding, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,347 in Redding, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Redding, CA, United States
Medellin, Colombia
Redding, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,347
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Redding, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Redding, CA $2,347
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,370 per month in Redding, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Redding, CA $3,370
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,394 per month in Redding, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Redding, CA $4,394
  • Medellin $3,186

Redding, CA costs about 43% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Redding, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Redding, CA by 72%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.82 $14.82
$8.09 COP 25.4K
83.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 $60.7
$47.05 COP 148.0K
29.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.96 $11.96
$9.50 COP 29.9K
25.89%
Cappuccino
$5.30 $5.30
$3.01 COP 9,485
76.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.80 COP 5,660
37.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.41 COP 4,443
38.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.87 $5.87
$3.18 COP 9,990
84.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 $4.98
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-13.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 $1.11
$1.51 COP 4,751
-26.49%
White Bread (500g)
$4.12 $4.12
$2.38 COP 7,480
73.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.77 COP 5,573
81.92%
Eggs
$4.08 $4.08
$2.89 COP 9,093
41.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 $11.76
$10.19 COP 32.1K
15.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.46 $16.46
$9.87 COP 31.1K
66.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.74 $18.74
$13.99 COP 44.0K
33.95%
Apples (1kg)
$6.02 $6.02
$3.97 COP 12.5K
51.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.55 COP 4,883
6.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$2.18 COP 6,867
25.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.55 $5.55
$2.18 COP 6,870
154.59%
Potato (1kg)
$3.95 $3.95
$1.96 COP 6,174
101.53%
Onion (1kg)
$3.02 $3.02
$1.59 COP 5,000
89.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.59 $2.59
$1.15 COP 3,604
125.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 $1.35
$1.24 COP 3,911
8.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.94 $11.94
$3.96 COP 12.5K
201.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.58 $10.58
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-22.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.66 COP 5,221
3.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 $3.63
$2.26 COP 7,103
60.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.17 COP 3,674
70.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.6 $50.6
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-34.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.27 COP 3,989
153.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.42 $2.42
$2.05 COP 6,442
18.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.15 $40.15
$8.55 COP 26.9K
369.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.35 COP 4,237
13.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K $27.2K
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-20.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-23.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 $191
$170 COP 533.7K
12.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.1 $59.1
$13.55 COP 42.6K
336.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.7 $68.7
$28.07 COP 88.3K
144.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.26 $47.26
$43.70 COP 137.5K
8.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.95 $10.95
$6.91 COP 21.7K
58.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,527 $2,527
$797 COP 2.5M
217.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.6K $37.6K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
312.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.6 $64.6
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-23.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.84 $32.84
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-43.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.8 $91.8
$135 COP 424.6K
-31.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$202 $202
$97.9 COP 307.9K
106.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,377 $1,377
$1,208 COP 3.8M
13.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 $1,018
$642 COP 2.0M
58.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,876 $1,876
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-7.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,513 $1,513
$1,012 COP 3.2M
49.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,028 $3,028
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-27.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,561 $2,561
$1,910 COP 6.0M
34.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Redding, CA
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,672 $3,672
$657 COP 2.1M
458.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.7
10.94
-38.76%

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

Last update for Redding, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Redding, CA
$1K
Medellin
$642 37% $377
Groceries & Markets
Redding, CA
$416
Medellin
$297 28.6% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Redding, CA
$319
Medellin
$211 33.8% $108
Eating Out
Redding, CA
$275
Medellin
$170 38.3% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Redding, CA
$176
Medellin
$169 3.9% $6.9
Getting Around
Redding, CA
$74
Medellin
$94 26.5% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Redding, CA
$69
Medellin
$58 16.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,377 in Redding, CA 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 Redding, CA are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Redding, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Redding, CA
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
14:08 2:08 PM
16:08 4:08 PM
2 h ahead of Redding, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
91,582
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Redding, CA Medellin 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Redding, CA
  • 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
Redding, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Redding, CA?
Yes – Redding, CA is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,520 per month in Redding, CA and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,377 in Redding, CA.
Is eating out cheaper in Redding, CA or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Redding, CA and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Redding, CA and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,347 in Redding, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 30% cheaper.
Is Redding, CA or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Redding, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Redding, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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