Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,814 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,814 per month in Sterling vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Sterling $2,814
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,314 per month in Sterling vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Sterling $4,314
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,814 per month in Sterling vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Sterling $5,814
Medellin $3,186

Sterling costs about 72% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sterling and Medellin sit above the global median – Sterling by 107%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$8.09 COP 26.1K

132.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$47.05 COP 151.7K

60.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$9.50 COP 30.6K

25.68%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$3.01 COP 9,722

101.66%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.80 COP 5,801

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.18 COP 10.2K

72.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$5.75 COP 18.5K

36.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.38 COP 7,667

70.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.77 COP 5,712

192.66%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$2.89 COP 9,320

89.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$10.19 COP 32.9K

67.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.76 $14.76

$9.87 COP 31.8K

49.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$13.99 COP 45.1K

33.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.97 COP 12.8K

40.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.55 COP 5,005

47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.18 COP 7,039

128.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.18 COP 7,041

163.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.96 COP 6,328

50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.59 COP 5,125

146.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.15 COP 3,694

105.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.24 COP 4,009

122.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.03 $10.03

$3.96 COP 12.8K

153.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$13.68 COP 44.1K

1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.66 COP 5,352

34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.26 COP 7,281

154.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.17 COP 3,766

334.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.27 COP 4,089

140.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.05 COP 6,603

-27.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.06 $22.06

$8.55 COP 27.6K

158.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,343

-22.96%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

2.41%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-26.51%

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

$156 $156

$170 COP 547.0K

-8.07%

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

$50.3 $50.3

$13.55 COP 43.7K

271.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$28.07 COP 90.5K

178.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.14 $29.14

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-33.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$18.21 $18.21

$6.91 COP 22.3K

163.53%

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

$1,890 $1,890

$797 COP 2.6M

137.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K $32.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

250.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$135 COP 435.2K

-35.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$97.9 COP 315.6K

7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 $1,245

$1,208 COP 3.9M

3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$642 COP 2.1M

134.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$1,012 COP 3.3M

182.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,292 $3,292

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-21.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,321 $2,321

$1,910 COP 6.2M

21.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,746 $3,746

$657 COP 2.1M

470.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

10.94

-39.40%

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

Last update for Sterling: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 57.3% $861

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$475 16.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.5% $178

Eating Out

Sterling

$324 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 47.7% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$284 10.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 25.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$131 4.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.2% $8

Getting Around

Sterling

$31 * 1.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 203% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,245 in Sterling 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 Sterling are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Sterling versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Sterling Medellin 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Sterling
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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

Sterling vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sterling is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,221 per month in Sterling and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,245 in Sterling and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Sterling and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Sterling, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Sterling at $2,814. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sterling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.