Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,130 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in Scarborough vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $2,130
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,096 per month in Scarborough vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $3,096
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Scarborough vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $4,062
Medellin $3,199

Scarborough costs about 31% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scarborough and Medellin sit above the global median – Scarborough by 57%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 £11.53

$8.30 COP 26.3K

85.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 £53.4

$46.91 COP 148.7K

51.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 £9.09

$9.24 COP 29.3K

31.17%

Cappuccino

$3.51 £2.63

$3.05 COP 9,676

15.08%

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

$2.05 £1.53

$1.80 COP 5,707

13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 £0.77

$1.38 COP 4,382

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 £3.44

$3.24 COP 10.3K

41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.50 COP 4,760

-14.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$2.37 COP 7,508

-42.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.70 COP 5,377

-36.47%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.70

$2.96 COP 9,379

21.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 £5.94

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-22.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 £5.39

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-26.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.46

$13.90 COP 44.1K

0.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-24.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.53 COP 4,839

30.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.99

$2.22 COP 7,052

19.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.27 COP 7,194

-7.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.99 COP 6,311

-12.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.67 COP 5,285

-2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.18 COP 3,742

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.24 COP 3,919

54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.58 £16.94

$3.87 COP 12.3K

483.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 £7.19

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-30.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 £2.74

$1.66 COP 5,256

119.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 £2.70

$2.40 COP 7,615

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.48

$1.24 COP 3,944

166.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$78.2 COP 248.0K

9.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 £4.30

$1.28 COP 4,044

347.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 £3.73

$2.15 COP 6,803

131.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 £25.19

$8.37 COP 26.5K

301.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.35 COP 4,288

46.67%

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

$36.0K £27.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

3.47%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

15.07%

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

$356 £267

$167 COP 528.4K

113.66%

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

$25.99 £19.50

$13.62 COP 43.2K

90.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 £24.56

$29.12 COP 92.3K

12.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 £49.59

$45.09 COP 143.0K

46.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.67 £9.50

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-26.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 £7.99

$6.97 COP 22.1K

52.94%

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

$1,804 £1,353

$790 COP 2.5M

128.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K £11.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

62.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 £49.73

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-24.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.54 £26.66

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-38.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.3

$139 COP 440.7K

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.2

$98.9 COP 313.5K

14.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 £651

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 £624

$620 COP 2.0M

34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 £1,143

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-18.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 £1,024

$1,008 COP 3.2M

35.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$910 £683

$663 COP 2.1M

37.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

10.94

-49.45%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$831 39%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 25.5% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$415 19.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 49.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$276 13%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 7.9% $22

Eating Out

Scarborough

$245 11.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 30.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$146 6.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 18.6% $27

Getting Around

Scarborough

$130 6.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 26.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$87 4.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 32.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $867 in Scarborough versus $1,028 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 run about 37% higher in Scarborough, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Scarborough versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Scarborough vs $298 in Medellin – so Scarborough wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

6 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,749

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Scarborough Medellin 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,195 per month in Scarborough and $2,437 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Scarborough and $47.00 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 $2,130 in Scarborough and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Scarborough at $2,130. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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