Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkaus and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,951 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Varkaus despite lower rent and utilities.

92

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
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Varkaus Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,951

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,951 per month in Varkaus vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkaus $1,951
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,965 per month in Varkaus vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkaus $2,965
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,979 per month in Varkaus vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkaus $3,979
Medellin $3,186

Varkaus costs about 19% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Varkaus and Medellin sit above the global median – Varkaus by 43%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 €14.29

$8.09 COP 25.4K

96.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.4 €89.3

$47.05 COP 148.0K

111.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 €11.10

$9.50 COP 29.9K

30.11%

Cappuccino

$5.48 €4.92

$3.01 COP 9,485

82.06%

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

$3.52 €3.17

$1.80 COP 5,660

95.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.54

$1.41 COP 4,443

100.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.10 €8.17

$3.18 COP 9,990

186.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 €7.73

$5.75 COP 18.1K

49.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.30

$1.51 COP 4,751

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.38 COP 7,480

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.20

$1.77 COP 5,573

101.69%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.60

$2.89 COP 9,093

38.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.53

$10.19 COP 32.1K

4.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 €14.88

$9.87 COP 31.1K

67.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.13

$13.99 COP 44.0K

44.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.55 COP 4,883

38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$2.18 COP 6,867

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 €4.50

$2.18 COP 6,870

129.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.96 COP 6,174

-38.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.59 COP 5,000

14.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.15 COP 3,604

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.24 COP 3,911

45.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 €11.10

$3.96 COP 12.5K

212.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 €12.09

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 €3.27

$1.66 COP 5,221

119.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.41

$2.26 COP 7,103

116.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.02

$1.17 COP 3,674

187.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 €55.2

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-20.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.51 €8.54

$1.27 COP 3,989

648.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.05 COP 6,442

-12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.7 €45.57

$8.55 COP 26.9K

493.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.35 COP 4,237

74.81%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

8.28%

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

$37.7K €33.9K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

8.85%

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

$107 €95.9

$170 COP 533.7K

-37.09%

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

$26.75 €24.03

$13.55 COP 42.6K

97.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.89 €25.95

$28.07 COP 88.3K

2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 €34.86

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-11.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.47 €21.98

$17.19 COP 54.1K

42.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 €16.14

$6.91 COP 21.7K

160.06%

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

$727 €653

$797 COP 2.5M

-8.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.4K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

39.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 €109

$84.7 COP 266.5K

42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 €50.7

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.8

$135 COP 424.6K

-32.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$176 €158

$97.9 COP 307.9K

79.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 €691

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €624

$642 COP 2.0M

8.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 €1,084

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 €832

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-8.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,803

$4,170 COP 13.1M

1.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 €1,694

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-1.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

10.94

-67.18%

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

Last update for Varkaus: 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

Varkaus

$695 35.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 7.7% $53

Groceries & Markets

Varkaus

$407 20.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 27% $110

Eating Out

Varkaus

$318 16.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Varkaus

$200 10.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkaus

$162 8.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 30.1% $49

Getting Around

Varkaus

$93 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Varkaus

$75 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 23% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Varkaus 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 Varkaus versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

7 h behind Varkaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,257

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Varkaus Medellin 10,080 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkaus
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

Varkaus vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varkaus is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,926 per month in Varkaus 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 Varkaus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $769 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Varkaus 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 $1,951 in Varkaus and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 16% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,951 in Varkaus 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 $1,951 in Varkaus. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.