Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,851 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Split, Croatia
Medellin, Colombia
Split
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,851
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,851 per month in Split vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Split $1,851
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,848 per month in Split vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Split $2,848
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,844 per month in Split vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Split $3,844
  • Medellin $3,186

Split costs about 13% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Split and Medellin sit above the global median – Split by 36%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Split
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.02 €15.25
$8.09 COP 26.1K
110.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.1 €67.2
$47.05 COP 151.7K
59.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.40 €10.21
$9.50 COP 30.6K
20.00%
Cappuccino
$2.70 €2.42
$3.01 COP 9,722
-10.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 €3.68
$1.80 COP 5,801
128.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 €2.51
$1.41 COP 4,554
99.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.67 €4.18
$3.18 COP 10.2K
46.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.18 €4.64
$5.75 COP 18.5K
-9.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Split
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.51 COP 4,869
-14.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 €1.91
$2.38 COP 7,667
-10.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.73 €3.34
$1.77 COP 5,712
110.73%
Eggs
$4.16 €3.73
$2.89 COP 9,320
43.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 €12.28
$10.19 COP 32.9K
34.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.50 €8.51
$9.87 COP 31.8K
-3.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.88 €11.54
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-7.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 €1.96
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-44.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 €1.64
$1.55 COP 5,005
18.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.18 COP 7,039
-12.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.58
$2.18 COP 7,041
32.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.96 COP 6,328
-19.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.59 COP 5,125
-27.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 €1.16
$1.15 COP 3,694
12.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.15
$1.24 COP 4,009
3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.71 €5.12
$3.96 COP 12.8K
44.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.14 €8.18
$13.68 COP 44.1K
-33.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.66 COP 5,352
4.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 €1.97
$2.26 COP 7,281
-2.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Split
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.66 €1.49
$1.17 COP 3,766
41.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.84 €34.78
$77.4 COP 249.5K
-49.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.80 €3.41
$1.27 COP 4,089
199.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.11 €1.89
$2.05 COP 6,603
2.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.30 €26.24
$8.55 COP 27.6K
242.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 €1.75
$1.35 COP 4,343
44.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €25.1K
$34.1K COP 109.8M
-17.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K €22.1K
$34.7K COP 111.8M
-28.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Split
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$212 €190
$170 COP 547.0K
25.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.36 €18.24
$13.55 COP 43.7K
50.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.88 €36.61
$28.07 COP 90.5K
45.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Split
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 €53.8
$43.70 COP 140.9K
37.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.12 €11.75
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-23.68%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 €9.50
$6.91 COP 22.3K
53.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Split
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$604 €541
$797 COP 2.6M
-24.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K €10.6K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
29.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Split
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.2 €83.5
$84.7 COP 273.2K
10.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.54 €35.41
$58.0 COP 186.9K
-31.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 €102
$135 COP 435.2K
-15.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.0 €87.7
$97.9 COP 315.6K
0.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Split
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 €910
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-15.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 €646
$642 COP 2.1M
12.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,906 €1,707
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-6.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,322 €1,184
$1,012 COP 3.3M
30.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,099 €6,358
$4,170 COP 13.4M
70.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,158 €4,619
$1,910 COP 6.2M
169.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Split
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,410
$657 COP 2.1M
139.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
10.94
-68.56%

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

Last update for Split: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Split
$722
Medellin
$642 11.1% $80
Groceries & Markets
Split
$296
Medellin
$297 0.3% $1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Split
$273
Medellin
$211 22.7% $62
Eating Out
Split
$264
Medellin
$170 35.8% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Split
$155
Medellin
$169 9.1% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Split
$81
Medellin
$58 29.2% $24
Getting Around
Split
$60
Medellin
$94 56.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Split 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 Split are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Split versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $296 in Split vs $297 in Medellin – so Split wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇷 Split
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
15:17 3:17 PM
6 h behind Split
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,830
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Split Medellin 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Split
  • 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
Split vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Split?
Yes – Split is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,777 per month in Split and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Split, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,016 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Split or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Split and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Split. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,500 enough for either Split or Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,851 in Split and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,851 in Split. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Split makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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