Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,127 in Roanoke, VA, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Roanoke, VA
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Roanoke, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Roanoke, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,127

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,127 per month in Roanoke, VA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Roanoke, VA $2,127
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,041 per month in Roanoke, VA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Roanoke, VA $3,041
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,955 per month in Roanoke, VA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Roanoke, VA $3,955
Medellin $3,186

Roanoke, VA costs about 30% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Roanoke, VA and Medellin sit above the global median – Roanoke, VA by 56%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 $17.21

$8.09 COP 26.1K

112.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$47.05 COP 151.7K

17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 $11.46

$9.50 COP 30.6K

20.63%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$3.01 COP 9,722

75.75%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$1.80 COP 5,801

28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.41 COP 4,554

68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.18 COP 10.2K

39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$5.75 COP 18.5K

21.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.51 COP 4,869

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.38 COP 7,667

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.77 COP 5,712

151.98%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$2.89 COP 9,320

16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$10.19 COP 32.9K

36.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$9.87 COP 31.8K

4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$13.99 COP 45.1K

20.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.97 COP 12.8K

38.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.55 COP 5,005

-21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.18 COP 7,039

75.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.18 COP 7,041

106.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.96 COP 6,328

17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.59 COP 5,125

93.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.15 COP 3,694

82.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.24 COP 4,009

70.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$3.96 COP 12.8K

129.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 $11.90

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.66 COP 5,352

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.26 COP 7,281

-36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.17 COP 3,766

53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 $56.9

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-26.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$2.05 COP 6,603

-70.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.35 COP 4,343

-35.56%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

5.34%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-24.88%

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

$122 $122

$170 COP 547.0K

-28.33%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$13.55 COP 43.7K

307.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$28.07 COP 90.5K

128.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.30 $37.30

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-14.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.28 $23.28

$17.19 COP 55.4K

35.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 $12.30

$6.91 COP 22.3K

78.00%

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

$559 $559

$797 COP 2.6M

-29.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.98 $44.98

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-46.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 $34.85

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-39.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 $93.0

$135 COP 435.2K

-31.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$97.9 COP 315.6K

35.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 $1,165

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$961 $961

$642 COP 2.1M

49.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-6.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$1,012 COP 3.3M

34.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-48.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 $1,844

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-3.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,298 $3,298

$657 COP 2.1M

401.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.94

-37.75%

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

Last update for Roanoke, 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

Roanoke, VA

$961 45.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 33.2% $319

Groceries & Markets

Roanoke, VA

$368 17.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 19.3% $71

Eating Out

Roanoke, VA

$291 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 41.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roanoke, VA

$241 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 12.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Roanoke, VA

$138 6.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.8% $31

Getting Around

Roanoke, VA

$67 * 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Roanoke, VA

$62 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,165 in Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, VA are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Roanoke, VA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roanoke, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

Same time as Roanoke, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,837

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

Roanoke, VA Medellin 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Roanoke, 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

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

Yes – Roanoke, VA is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,190 per month in Roanoke, VA and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,165 in Roanoke, VA and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Roanoke, 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 $2,127 in Roanoke, VA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 23% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,127 in Roanoke, VA and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,127 in Roanoke, VA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roanoke, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.