Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,113 in Varese, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,113 per month in Varese vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Varese $2,113
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Varese vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Varese $3,466
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,818 per month in Varese vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Varese $4,818
Medellin $3,186

Varese costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Varese and Medellin sit above the global median – Varese by 55%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$8.09 COP 26.1K

180.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.7

$47.05 COP 151.7K

117.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.88

$9.50 COP 30.6K

39.58%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.02

$3.01 COP 9,722

-25.25%

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

$3.54 €3.17

$1.80 COP 5,801

96.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.41 COP 4,554

15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.92

$3.18 COP 10.2K

107.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$5.75 COP 18.5K

13.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.51 COP 4,869

13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.38 COP 7,667

8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.18

$1.77 COP 5,712

100.56%

Eggs

$5.01 €4.48

$2.89 COP 9,320

73.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.22 €27.96

$10.19 COP 32.9K

206.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 €11.62

$9.87 COP 31.8K

31.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.61 €24.73

$13.99 COP 45.1K

97.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$1.55 COP 5,005

90.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$2.18 COP 7,039

42.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$2.18 COP 7,041

52.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.96 COP 6,328

28.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.59 COP 5,125

35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.15 COP 3,694

93.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.24 COP 4,009

-48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 €6.98

$3.96 COP 12.8K

96.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 €8.09

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-33.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.66 COP 5,352

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.26 COP 7,281

-25.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.17 COP 3,766

127.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.50 €44.33

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-36.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$1.27 COP 4,089

337.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.05 COP 6,603

10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.89 €35.73

$8.55 COP 27.6K

366.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.35 COP 4,343

59.26%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

8.43%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

0.16%

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

$219 €197

$170 COP 547.0K

29.34%

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

$12.64 €11.32

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-6.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.52

$28.07 COP 90.5K

17.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.73

$43.70 COP 140.9K

24.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.78 €22.19

$17.19 COP 55.4K

44.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 €10.62

$6.91 COP 22.3K

71.49%

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

$726 €650

$797 COP 2.6M

-8.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,098 €6,357

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-22.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.1

$84.7 COP 273.2K

29.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €50.2

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €144

$97.9 COP 315.6K

64.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €821

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €665

$642 COP 2.1M

15.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 €1,506

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,406

$1,012 COP 3.3M

55.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 €2,254

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-39.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 €1,533

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-10.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,167

$657 COP 2.1M

268.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

10.94

-65.90%

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

Last update for Varese: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$742 35.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 13.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$439 20.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 32.3% $142

Eating Out

Varese

$315 14.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.2% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$265 12.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$197 9.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 14.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$78 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.4% $21

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 21.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $917 in Varese 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 Varese are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varese versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $439 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

6 h behind Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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 EUR in detail →

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Varese Medellin 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Varese
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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

Varese vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varese is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,169 per month in Varese 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 Varese, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $917 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varese 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 $2,113 in Varese and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,113 in Varese and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,113 in Varese. 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, Varese makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.