Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $3,606 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $5,906 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
Medellin $3,139

Surprise, AZ is about 18% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surprise, AZ sits 3% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$8.01 COP 25.5K

152.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$46.55 COP 148.4K

80.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.43 COP 30.1K

36.16%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$2.91 COP 9,280

106.53%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.75 COP 5,586

51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.32 COP 4,220

86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.13 COP 9,972

130.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$5.55 COP 17.7K

46.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.41 COP 4,496

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.44 COP 7,779

44.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.63 COP 5,192

218.40%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$2.82 COP 8,993

67.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$9.69 COP 30.9K

38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$9.32 COP 29.7K

21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$13.46 COP 42.9K

9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.00 COP 12.8K

15.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.48 COP 4,720

31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.12 COP 6,770

83.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.25 COP 7,180

87.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.91 COP 6,093

33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.62 COP 5,162

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.15 COP 3,659

85.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.26 COP 4,022

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$3.82 COP 12.2K

179.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$13.11 COP 41.8K

5.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.60 COP 5,084

56.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.26 COP 7,190

41.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,732

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.27 COP 4,057

120.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.05 COP 6,533

-31.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.20 COP 26.1K

330.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.27 COP 4,047

-11.02%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

37.17%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.4K COP 109.7M

-26.46%

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

$197 $197

$162 COP 517.0K

21.43%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$13.12 COP 41.8K

377.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$28.09 COP 89.5K

162.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$44.33 COP 141.3K

37.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.1K

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$6.09 COP 19.4K

116.09%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$764 COP 2.4M

42.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

75.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$132 COP 420.0K

-24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$95.8 COP 305.2K

20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,802 COP 5.7M

17.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$993 COP 3.2M

205.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-2.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$626 COP 2.0M

574.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

10.94

-41.13%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 26.4% $103

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 51.8% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 39% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 17.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 35.1% $31

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 829% $81

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Medellin

$604 38.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 574% higher in Surprise, AZ, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surprise, AZ Medellin 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, 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

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,958 per month in Surprise, AZ and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 36% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surprise, AZ, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Surprise, AZ it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surprise, AZ – 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 Surprise, AZ. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.