Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Tempe, AZ
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Tempe, AZ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,880 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,836 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Medellin $3,190

Tempe, AZ costs about 78% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tempe, AZ and Medellin sit above the global median – Tempe, AZ by 113%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$7.93 COP 25.2K

149.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$46.13 COP 146.3K

76.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$9.50 COP 30.1K

38.63%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.11 COP 9,866

68.81%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.83 COP 5,800

69.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.38 COP 4,360

76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.05 COP 9,672

97.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$5.50 COP 17.4K

30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.45 COP 4,600

-33.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.36 COP 7,496

77.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.68 COP 5,328

268.45%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.86 COP 9,077

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$10.19 COP 32.3K

33.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$9.53 COP 30.2K

41.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$14.04 COP 44.5K

23.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.07 COP 12.9K

31.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.50 COP 4,742

31.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.17 COP 6,891

89.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.31 COP 7,310

114.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.93 COP 6,113

31.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.64 COP 5,196

82.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.13 COP 3,571

96.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.25 COP 3,954

81.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$3.99 COP 12.6K

172.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$13.35 COP 42.3K

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.70 COP 5,384

41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.37 COP 7,525

32.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.21 COP 3,827

60.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-15.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.32 COP 4,179

114.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.14 COP 6,774

-35.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$8.47 COP 26.8K

318.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.30 COP 4,114

-10.00%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

31.26%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.23%

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

$240 $240

$172 COP 545.6K

39.69%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

358.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$28.73 COP 91.1K

171.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-33.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-11.03%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$6.28 COP 19.9K

119.75%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$770 COP 2.4M

43.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

70.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-27.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$97.9 COP 310.4K

14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,055 COP 3.3M

79.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$616 COP 2.0M

137.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,892 COP 6.0M

34.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$1,023 COP 3.2M

64.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$652 COP 2.1M

507.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.94

-40.59%

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

Last update for Tempe, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 57.8% $844

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 31.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 43.6% $166

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 48.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 18.8% $27

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 14.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,055 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 run about 507% higher in Tempe, AZ, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Tempe, AZ versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tempe, AZ Medellin 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tempe, 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

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

Yes – Tempe, AZ is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,320 per month in Tempe, AZ and $2,421 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 $82.0 in Tempe, AZ and $46.00 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 $2,880 in Tempe, AZ and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 78%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Tempe, AZ at $2,880. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tempe, AZ 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tempe, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.