Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ridgewood, NJ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,684 in Ridgewood, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Ridgewood, NJ
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Ridgewood, NJ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ridgewood, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $2,684
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,918 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $3,918
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $5,153
Medellin $3,186

Ridgewood, NJ costs about 64% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ridgewood, NJ and Medellin sit above the global median – Ridgewood, NJ by 97%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.25 $18.25

$8.09 COP 25.6K

125.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$47.05 COP 148.9K

57.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$9.50 COP 30.1K

28.00%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.01 COP 9,540

75.08%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.80 COP 5,693

39.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.41 COP 4,469

41.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.18 COP 10.0K

117.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$5.75 COP 18.2K

36.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.51 COP 4,778

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.38 COP 7,524

53.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.77 COP 5,606

152.54%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.89 COP 9,146

20.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$10.19 COP 32.2K

53.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-21.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 $10.93

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.97 COP 12.6K

36.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.55 COP 4,911

10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.18 COP 6,907

105.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.18 COP 6,910

176.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.96 COP 6,210

110.71%

Onion (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.59 COP 5,029

175.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.15 COP 3,625

128.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.24 COP 3,934

107.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$3.96 COP 12.5K

207.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$13.68 COP 43.3K

8.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.66 COP 5,252

59.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.26 COP 7,145

49.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.17 COP 3,696

82.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-21.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.27 COP 4,013

137.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.05 COP 6,480

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.55 COP 27.1K

383.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.35 COP 4,262

-23.70%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-12.12%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-25.01%

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

$248 $248

$170 COP 536.8K

45.96%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$13.55 COP 42.9K

344.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 $62.0

$28.07 COP 88.8K

120.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.12 $40.12

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-8.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.39 $39.39

$17.19 COP 54.4K

129.14%

Cinema Ticket

$18.77 $18.77

$6.91 COP 21.9K

171.64%

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

$3,036 $3,036

$797 COP 2.5M

281.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K $33.7K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

270.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 $67.4

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-3.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 $83.6

$135 COP 427.1K

-38.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$97.9 COP 309.7K

15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$1,208 COP 3.8M

31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 $1,298

$642 COP 2.0M

102.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,559 $2,559

$2,028 COP 6.4M

26.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 $2,140

$1,012 COP 3.2M

111.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,701 $2,701

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-35.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$1,910 COP 6.0M

21.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$657 COP 2.1M

650.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

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

Last update for Ridgewood, NJ: 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

Ridgewood, NJ

$1.3K 48.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.6% $657

Groceries & Markets

Ridgewood, NJ

$401 14.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ridgewood, NJ

$370 13.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 42.9% $159

Eating Out

Ridgewood, NJ

$314 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Ridgewood, NJ

$144 5.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17.3% $25

Getting Around

Ridgewood, NJ

$78 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 19.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ridgewood, NJ

$78 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Ridgewood, NJ 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 Ridgewood, NJ are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Ridgewood, NJ versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ridgewood, NJ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h behind Ridgewood, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,272

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ridgewood, NJ Medellin 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ridgewood, NJ
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

Ridgewood, NJ vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ridgewood, NJ is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,025 per month in Ridgewood, NJ 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 $1,589 in Ridgewood, NJ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Ridgewood, NJ 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 $2,684 in Ridgewood, NJ and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 39% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Ridgewood, NJ at $2,684. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ridgewood, NJ 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, Ridgewood, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.