Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,598 per month in Swords vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Swords $2,598
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,804 per month in Swords vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Swords $3,804
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,010 per month in Swords vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Swords $5,010
Medellin $3,186

Swords costs about 58% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Swords and Medellin sit above the global median – Swords by 91%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.86

$8.09 COP 25.6K

173.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.4

$47.05 COP 148.9K

109.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.83

$9.50 COP 30.1K

38.95%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.42

$3.01 COP 9,540

63.79%

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

$2.98 €2.67

$1.80 COP 5,693

65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.41 COP 4,469

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.20

$3.18 COP 10.0K

152.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.04

$5.75 COP 18.2K

17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.51 COP 4,778

4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.38 COP 7,524

-1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.77 COP 5,606

14.69%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.80

$2.89 COP 9,146

46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.87

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.73

$9.87 COP 31.2K

10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.91

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.55 COP 4,911

46.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.18 COP 6,907

27.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.74

$2.18 COP 6,910

91.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.96 COP 6,210

-4.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.59 COP 5,029

-7.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.15 COP 3,625

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.24 COP 3,934

53.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.39

$3.96 COP 12.5K

418.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.00

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.00

$1.66 COP 5,252

101.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.09

$2.26 COP 7,145

52.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.17 COP 3,696

93.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.48

$1.27 COP 4,013

293.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.05 COP 6,480

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.46

$8.55 COP 27.1K

336.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.35 COP 4,262

60.00%

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

$38.6K €34.6K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

13.25%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

9.59%

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

$246 €221

$170 COP 536.8K

45.19%

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

$18.68 €16.74

$13.55 COP 42.9K

37.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.85

$28.07 COP 88.8K

82.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.36

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-7.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.03

$6.91 COP 21.9K

94.36%

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

$1,010 €905

$797 COP 2.5M

26.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,644

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-43.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.8

$84.7 COP 268.1K

18.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.06

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-17.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$135 COP 427.1K

-19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$97.9 COP 309.7K

15.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,394

$1,208 COP 3.8M

28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,202

$642 COP 2.0M

109.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,316

$2,028 COP 6.4M

27.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,940

$1,012 COP 3.2M

113.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,231

$4,170 COP 13.2M

13.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,089

$1,910 COP 6.0M

80.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

10.94

-66.36%

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

Last update for Swords: 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

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 52.2% $700

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.6% $181

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 11.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 33.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.7% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 338% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,556 in Swords 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Swords versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

5 h behind Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swords Medellin 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Swords
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

Swords vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swords is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,897 per month in Swords 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 $1,556 in Swords.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Swords and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Swords, 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 Swords at $2,598. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swords 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.