Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, Canada and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,338 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,338

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,338 per month in Surrey vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Surrey $2,338
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,564 per month in Surrey vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Surrey $3,564
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,791 per month in Surrey vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Surrey $4,791
Medellin $3,186

Surrey costs about 43% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surrey and Medellin sit above the global median – Surrey by 72%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 CA$25.31

$8.09 COP 26.1K

123.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 CA$80.3

$47.05 COP 151.7K

22.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 CA$14.06

$9.50 COP 30.6K

5.89%

Cappuccino

$3.52 CA$4.92

$3.01 COP 9,722

16.94%

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

$2.01 CA$2.81

$1.80 COP 5,801

11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.10

$1.41 COP 4,554

6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 CA$8.40

$3.18 COP 10.2K

88.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.87

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.51 COP 4,869

63.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.94

$2.38 COP 7,667

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$1.77 COP 5,712

105.65%

Eggs

$3.22 CA$4.50

$2.89 COP 9,320

11.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 CA$13.65

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-4.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 CA$14.78

$9.87 COP 31.8K

7.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.34 CA$28.42

$13.99 COP 45.1K

45.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.65

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-16.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$1.55 COP 5,005

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.10

$2.18 COP 7,039

34.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.23

$2.18 COP 7,041

38.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.62

$1.96 COP 6,328

32.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.01

$1.59 COP 5,125

35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.80

$1.15 COP 3,694

73.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.24 COP 4,009

47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.72

$3.96 COP 12.8K

256.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$19.85

$13.68 COP 44.1K

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$1.66 COP 5,352

47.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CA$4.51

$2.26 COP 7,281

42.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.17 COP 3,766

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 CA$154

$77.4 COP 249.5K

42.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$1.27 COP 4,089

107.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$2.05 COP 6,603

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.02 CA$39.15

$8.55 COP 27.6K

227.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.92

$1.35 COP 4,343

2.22%

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

$28.2K CA$39.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-17.34%

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

$21.7K CA$30.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-37.38%

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

$187 CA$261

$170 COP 547.0K

9.93%

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

$37.14 CA$51.9

$13.55 COP 43.7K

174.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CA$91.9

$28.07 COP 90.5K

134.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.83 CA$44.48

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-27.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.35 CA$35.42

$17.19 COP 55.4K

47.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 CA$17.02

$6.91 COP 22.3K

76.27%

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

$668 CA$934

$797 COP 2.6M

-16.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K CA$16.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

32.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 CA$76.8

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CA$85.4

$58.0 COP 186.9K

5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 CA$139

$135 COP 435.2K

-26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 CA$127

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 CA$1,923

$1,208 COP 3.9M

13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 CA$1,528

$642 COP 2.1M

70.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 CA$3,641

$2,028 COP 6.5M

28.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 CA$2,927

$1,012 COP 3.3M

107.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 CA$9,265

$4,170 COP 13.4M

59.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,166 CA$7,218

$1,910 COP 6.2M

170.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,156 CA$4,410

$657 COP 2.1M

380.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

10.94

-55.48%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 41.3% $452

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$357 15.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 16.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$289 12.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 27% $78

Eating Out

Surrey

$273 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$138 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.6% $31

Getting Around

Surrey

$131 5.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 28.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$56 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,376 in Surrey 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 Surrey are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Surrey versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

2 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surrey Medellin 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,507 per month in Surrey and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,376 in Surrey.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Surrey and $47 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 $2,338 in Surrey and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 30% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,338 in Surrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.