Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reston, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,210 in Reston, VA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Reston, VA
Learn more

Reston, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Reston, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,210

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,210 per month in Reston, VA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Reston, VA $3,210
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,151 per month in Reston, VA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Reston, VA $5,151
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $7,092 per month in Reston, VA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Reston, VA $7,092
Medellin $3,186

Reston, VA costs about 96% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reston, VA and Medellin sit above the global median – Reston, VA by 136%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 $24.67

$8.09 COP 26.1K

204.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$47.05 COP 151.9K

150.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$9.50 COP 30.7K

7.16%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.01 COP 9,735

96.01%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.80 COP 5,809

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.41 COP 4,561

88.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.18 COP 10.3K

121.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 $7.44

$5.75 COP 18.6K

29.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.51 COP 4,876

-14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.38 COP 7,678

76.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.77 COP 5,720

143.50%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$2.89 COP 9,333

83.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$10.19 COP 32.9K

68.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$9.87 COP 31.9K

67.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$13.99 COP 45.2K

64.62%

Apples (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.97 COP 12.8K

74.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.55 COP 5,012

11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.18 COP 7,048

83.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.18 COP 7,051

172.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.96 COP 6,337

47.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.59 COP 5,132

133.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.15 COP 3,699

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.24 COP 4,014

98.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 $13.99

$3.96 COP 12.8K

253.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.29 $18.29

$13.68 COP 44.2K

33.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.66 COP 5,359

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.26 COP 7,291

106.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.17 COP 3,771

235.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 $128

$77.4 COP 249.8K

65.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.27 COP 4,094

214.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.05 COP 6,612

-21.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

$8.55 COP 27.6K

193.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.35 COP 4,349

-25.93%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-10.99%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-31.73%

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

$214 $214

$170 COP 547.8K

26.40%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$13.55 COP 43.8K

369.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 $79.2

$28.07 COP 90.6K

182.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$43.70 COP 141.1K

131.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 $30.23

$17.19 COP 55.5K

75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 $15.91

$6.91 COP 22.3K

130.25%

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

$2,926 $2,926

$797 COP 2.6M

267.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.5K $41.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

355.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.29 $43.29

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-25.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$135 COP 435.8K

-21.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$97.9 COP 316.0K

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,364 $2,364

$1,208 COP 3.9M

95.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$642 COP 2.1M

139.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,630 $3,630

$2,028 COP 6.5M

79.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,204 $3,204

$1,012 COP 3.3M

216.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,480 $6,480

$4,170 COP 13.5M

55.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,297 $4,297

$1,910 COP 6.2M

124.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,272 $6,272

$657 COP 2.1M

854.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

10.94

-39.40%

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

Last update for Reston, VA: 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

Reston, VA

$1.5K 47.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 58.2% $894

Groceries & Markets

Reston, VA

$499 15.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 40.5% $202

Eating Out

Reston, VA

$371 11.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 54.3% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reston, VA

$357 11.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.9% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Reston, VA

$158 4.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 7% $11

Getting Around

Reston, VA

$156 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Reston, VA

$133 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 56.8% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,364 in Reston, VA 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 Reston, VA are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Reston, VA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $499 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reston, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Reston, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,404

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 = 2.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reston, VA Medellin 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Reston, VA
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

Reston, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reston, VA is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,815 per month in Reston, VA 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 $2,364 in Reston, VA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Reston, VA 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 $3,210 in Reston, VA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 49% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Reston, VA at $3,210. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reston, VA 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, Reston, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.