Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vasteras and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,818 in Vasteras, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Vasteras despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
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Vasteras Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Vasteras vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Vasteras $1,818
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,764 per month in Vasteras vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Vasteras $2,764
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,710 per month in Vasteras vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Vasteras $3,710
Medellin $3,190

Vasteras costs about 13% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vasteras and Medellin sit above the global median – Vasteras by 35%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 SEK 136

$7.93 COP 25.2K

72.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 SEK 640

$46.13 COP 146.3K

39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$9.50 COP 30.1K

4.32%

Cappuccino

$4.23 SEK 41.92

$3.11 COP 9,866

36.01%

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

$2.25 SEK 22.27

$1.83 COP 5,800

22.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 21.97

$1.38 COP 4,360

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 SEK 70.8

$3.05 COP 9,672

134.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$5.50 COP 17.4K

28.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 SEK 13.87

$1.45 COP 4,600

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 SEK 29.70

$2.36 COP 7,496

27.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.37

$1.68 COP 5,328

112.50%

Eggs

$3.89 SEK 38.55

$2.86 COP 9,077

36.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 SEK 120

$10.19 COP 32.3K

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$9.53 COP 30.2K

33.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 SEK 221

$14.04 COP 44.5K

58.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 SEK 31.59

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-21.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.05

$1.50 COP 4,742

68.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SEK 36.37

$2.17 COP 6,891

69.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 SEK 43.46

$2.31 COP 7,310

90.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.55

$1.93 COP 6,113

-23.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.64 COP 5,196

3.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 SEK 21.62

$1.13 COP 3,571

92.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SEK 14.73

$1.25 COP 3,954

19.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$3.99 COP 12.6K

77.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 SEK 132

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 13.10

$1.70 COP 5,384

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 SEK 21.54

$2.37 COP 7,525

-8.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 32.88

$1.21 COP 3,827

174.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 SEK 700

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-7.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 SEK 34.78

$1.32 COP 4,179

165.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 SEK 24.78

$2.14 COP 6,774

16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 802

$8.47 COP 26.8K

855.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.49

$1.30 COP 4,114

27.69%

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

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

18.50%

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

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-9.53%

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

$183 SEK 1,817

$172 COP 545.6K

6.57%

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

$22.17 SEK 220

$13.37 COP 42.4K

65.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.15 SEK 428

$28.73 COP 91.1K

50.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 SEK 338

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-24.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 SEK 195

$17.04 COP 54.0K

15.32%

Cinema Ticket

$16.74 SEK 166

$6.28 COP 19.9K

166.56%

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

$151 SEK 1,499

$770 COP 2.4M

-80.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-45.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 SEK 1,002

$86.4 COP 274.0K

17.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 SEK 399

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 SEK 859

$137 COP 432.9K

-36.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,323

$97.9 COP 310.4K

36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 SEK 7,429

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-28.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 SEK 5,957

$616 COP 2.0M

-2.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-27.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 SEK 9,880

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-2.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-12.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

43.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

359.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.94

-67.73%

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

Last update for Vasteras: 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

Vasteras

$601 33.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 2.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Vasteras

$380 20.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 22.5% $86

Eating Out

Vasteras

$258 14.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 34.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vasteras

$249 13.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 13.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Vasteras

$163 9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.5% $7.3

Getting Around

Vasteras

$100 5.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 6.7% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Vasteras

$68 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 14.5% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $750 in Vasteras 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 359% higher in Vasteras, 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 $65.0 in Vasteras versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

7 h behind Vasteras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,877

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 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).

USD to SEK in detail →

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Between locations

Vasteras Medellin 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vasteras
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

Vasteras vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vasteras is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,728 per month in Vasteras 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 $65.0 in Vasteras 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 $1,818 in Vasteras and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Vasteras at $1,818. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vasteras 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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