Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Singapore vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Singapore $3,454
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $5,224 per month in Singapore vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Singapore $5,224
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $6,994 per month in Singapore vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Singapore $6,994
Medellin $3,139

Singapore costs about 117% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Medellin sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$8.01 COP 25.8K

43.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$46.55 COP 149.9K

52.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$9.43 COP 30.4K

-7.10%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$2.91 COP 9,374

80.41%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.75 COP 5,643

4.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.32 COP 4,263

-5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$3.13 COP 10.1K

169.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$5.55 COP 17.9K

80.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.41 COP 4,542

108.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$2.44 COP 7,858

1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.63 COP 5,245

66.26%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.82 COP 9,084

32.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$9.69 COP 31.2K

122.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$9.32 COP 30.0K

2.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$13.46 COP 43.3K

93.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$4.00 COP 12.9K

12.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.48 COP 4,768

110.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.12 COP 6,839

117.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.25 COP 7,253

-0.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.91 COP 6,155

30.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.62 COP 5,214

46.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.15 COP 3,696

54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$1.26 COP 4,063

19.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$3.82 COP 12.3K

271.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$13.11 COP 42.2K

81.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.60 COP 5,136

181.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.26 COP 7,263

102.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.17 COP 3,770

35.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$75.0 COP 241.5K

28.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$1.27 COP 4,098

185.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$2.05 COP 6,600

-60.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$8.20 COP 26.4K

97.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.27 COP 4,088

97.64%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$26.8K COP 86.2M

482.11%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

323.68%

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

$175 SGD 224

$162 COP 522.3K

7.90%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$13.12 COP 42.3K

-5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$28.09 COP 90.5K

-5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$44.33 COP 142.7K

151.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$16.33 COP 52.6K

-26.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$6.09 COP 19.6K

90.48%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$764 COP 2.5M

91.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$8,904 COP 28.7M

218.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$85.0 COP 273.6K

-4.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$57.5 COP 185.1K

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$132 COP 424.2K

-15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$95.8 COP 308.3K

35.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$1,028 COP 3.3M

183.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$604 COP 1.9M

252.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,802 COP 5.8M

213.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$993 COP 3.2M

299.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$3,921 COP 12.6M

501.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,639 COP 5.3M

926.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$626 COP 2.0M

597.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

10.94

-77.70%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 71.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 36.9% $169

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 35% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 0.9% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 58.1% $78

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 17.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Singapore 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 598% higher in Singapore, 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 Singapore versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

21:40 9:40 PM

13 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Medellin 19,170 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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

Singapore vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Singapore and $2,384 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 Singapore 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 $3,454 in Singapore and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 117%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore 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, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.