Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,911 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,339 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,767 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Medellin $3,190

Scottsdale, AZ costs about 80% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scottsdale, AZ and Medellin sit above the global median – Scottsdale, AZ by 116%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$7.93 COP 25.2K

147.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$46.13 COP 146.3K

86.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$9.50 COP 30.1K

35.05%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.11 COP 9,866

71.06%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.83 COP 5,800

60.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.38 COP 4,360

72.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.05 COP 9,672

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.50 COP 17.4K

43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 COP 4,600

-30.34%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.36 COP 7,496

72.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.68 COP 5,328

195.83%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$2.86 COP 9,077

56.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$10.19 COP 32.3K

34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$9.53 COP 30.2K

17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$14.04 COP 44.5K

22.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.07 COP 12.9K

7.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.50 COP 4,742

24.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.17 COP 6,891

73.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.31 COP 7,310

80.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.93 COP 6,113

47.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.64 COP 5,196

71.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.13 COP 3,571

87.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.25 COP 3,954

110.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$3.99 COP 12.6K

166.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$13.35 COP 42.3K

1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.70 COP 5,384

46.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.37 COP 7,525

40.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.21 COP 3,827

86.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-44.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.32 COP 4,179

109.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.14 COP 6,774

-37.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$8.47 COP 26.8K

322.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.30 COP 4,114

-8.46%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

30.94%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-28.27%

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

$200 $200

$172 COP 545.6K

16.39%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$13.37 COP 42.4K

376.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$28.73 COP 91.1K

161.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-24.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$6.28 COP 19.9K

118.31%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$770 COP 2.4M

60.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

123.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-36.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-24.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$97.9 COP 310.4K

35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$1,055 COP 3.3M

126.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$616 COP 2.0M

154.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$1,892 COP 6.0M

70.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$1,023 COP 3.2M

169.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-7.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,678 COP 5.3M

182.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$652 COP 2.1M

769.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

10.94

-39.49%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 60.7% $951

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 27.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 36.9% $125

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 48.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 14.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 6.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 53% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,055 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 769% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, 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 $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

2 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Scottsdale, AZ Medellin 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Scottsdale, AZ
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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scottsdale, AZ is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,366 per month in Scottsdale, AZ and $2,421 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 $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ and $46.00 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 $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Scottsdale, AZ at $2,911. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scottsdale, AZ 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Scottsdale, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.