Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,334 per month in Staefa vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Staefa $3,334
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $5,350 per month in Staefa vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Staefa $5,350
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $7,365 per month in Staefa vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Staefa $7,365
Medellin $3,199

Staefa costs about 105% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Staefa and Medellin sit above the global median – Staefa by 146%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.82 CHF 27.03

$8.30 COP 26.3K

295.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.3

$46.91 COP 148.7K

156.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.37 CHF 13.49

$9.24 COP 29.3K

77.16%

Cappuccino

$6.22 CHF 5.12

$3.05 COP 9,676

103.93%

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

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$1.80 COP 5,707

226.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CHF 4.12

$1.38 COP 4,382

262.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 CHF 6.80

$3.24 COP 10.3K

154.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 CHF 6.93

$5.56 COP 17.6K

51.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.50 COP 4,760

48.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$2.37 COP 7,508

45.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 CHF 3.11

$1.70 COP 5,377

121.76%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$2.96 COP 9,379

182.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.91 CHF 22.17

$10.22 COP 32.4K

163.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.91 CHF 21.34

$9.74 COP 30.9K

166.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.2 CHF 45.46

$13.90 COP 44.1K

297.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 CHF 2.27

$1.53 COP 4,839

79.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$2.22 COP 7,052

61.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$2.27 COP 7,194

97.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.99 COP 6,311

25.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.67 COP 5,285

36.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CHF 2.05

$1.18 COP 3,742

110.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$1.24 COP 3,919

4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 CHF 8.88

$3.87 COP 12.3K

178.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 CHF 11.27

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$1.66 COP 5,256

65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.64

$2.40 COP 7,615

33.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$1.24 COP 3,944

252.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.5

$78.2 COP 248.0K

27.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 CHF 6.10

$1.28 COP 4,044

478.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$2.15 COP 6,803

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.0 CHF 71.7

$8.37 COP 26.5K

939.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.35 COP 4,288

73.33%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

13.96%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

13.83%

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

$236 CHF 194

$167 COP 528.4K

41.60%

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

$31.65 CHF 26.06

$13.62 COP 43.2K

132.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 CHF 46.52

$29.12 COP 92.3K

93.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.0 CHF 65.1

$45.09 COP 143.0K

75.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.96 CHF 37.03

$17.18 COP 54.5K

161.70%

Cinema Ticket

$22.08 CHF 18.18

$6.97 COP 22.1K

216.79%

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

$2,812 CHF 2,316

$790 COP 2.5M

255.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

366.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 113

$87.8 COP 278.4K

56.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 CHF 49.37

$58.2 COP 184.4K

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$139 COP 440.7K

5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 141

$98.9 COP 313.5K

72.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 CHF 1,302

$1,028 COP 3.3M

53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CHF 1,138

$620 COP 2.0M

123.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,383

$1,881 COP 6.0M

53.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 CHF 2,289

$1,008 COP 3.2M

175.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

334.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

725.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

10.94

-84.28%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 55.2% $762

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$637 19.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 53.2% $339

Eating Out

Staefa

$488 14.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 65% $317

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$324 9.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 35.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$232 7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 25.6% $59

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 36% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$123 3.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 52.1% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Staefa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Staefa versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $637 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

7 h behind Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Staefa Medellin 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Staefa
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

Staefa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Staefa is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,002 per month in Staefa 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 $121 in Staefa 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 $3,334 in Staefa and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Staefa at $3,334. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staefa 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, Staefa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.