Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,723 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Scalea vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Scalea $1,723
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,482 per month in Scalea vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Scalea $2,482
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Scalea vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Scalea $3,241
Medellin $3,186

Scalea costs about 5% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scalea and Medellin sit above the global median – Scalea by 27%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €15.05

$8.09 COP 26.1K

107.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.7

$47.05 COP 151.9K

20.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.87

$9.50 COP 30.7K

16.00%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$3.01 COP 9,735

-30.23%

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

$2.96 €2.65

$1.80 COP 5,809

64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.41 COP 4,561

47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.91

$3.18 COP 10.3K

107.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.70

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-28.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.51 COP 4,876

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.38 COP 7,678

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.77 COP 5,720

48.02%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.06

$2.89 COP 9,333

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 €9.90

$10.19 COP 32.9K

8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.48

$9.87 COP 31.9K

18.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.15

$13.99 COP 45.2K

12.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-49.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.55 COP 5,012

11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 €1.25

$2.18 COP 7,048

-36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.18 COP 7,051

21.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.96 COP 6,337

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.59 COP 5,132

-18.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.15 COP 3,699

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 €0.42

$1.24 COP 4,014

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.11

$3.96 COP 12.8K

72.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 €7.00

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-42.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.66 COP 5,359

10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.26 COP 7,291

-32.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.17 COP 3,771

41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.62 €34.61

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-50.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.10

$1.27 COP 4,094

259.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.05 COP 6,612

-44.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.71

$8.55 COP 27.6K

157.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.35 COP 4,349

57.04%

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

$36.0K €32.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

5.65%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

8.45%

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

$315 €282

$170 COP 547.8K

85.39%

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

$10.52 €9.42

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-22.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.57 €30.98

$28.07 COP 90.6K

23.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 €47.61

$43.70 COP 141.1K

21.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.55 €20.21

$17.19 COP 55.5K

31.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.12

$6.91 COP 22.3K

31.26%

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

$445 €399

$797 COP 2.6M

-44.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,807 €6,099

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-25.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 €74.4

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 €30.63

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-41.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €76.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-37.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$97.9 COP 316.0K

31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 €628

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-42.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €498

$642 COP 2.1M

-13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €984

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-45.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €734

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-19.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,452 €1,301

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-65.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 €1,023

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-40.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

10.94

-67.55%

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

Last update for Scalea: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scalea

$556 32.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 15.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$360 20.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41.2% $148

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$278 16.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 6.9% $19

Eating Out

Scalea

$254 14.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 33.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$149 8.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$71 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 19.3% $14

Getting Around

Scalea

$56 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 68.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Scalea 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Scalea versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $278 in Scalea vs $297 in Medellin – so Scalea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

6 h behind Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scalea Medellin 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scalea is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Scalea 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 Scalea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $700 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Scalea 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 $1,723 in Scalea and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 5% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,723 in Scalea 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 $1,723 in Scalea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.