Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,278 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $31,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

205

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,278

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,278 per month in Waltham, MA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Waltham, MA $4,278
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $6,563 per month in Waltham, MA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Waltham, MA $6,563
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $8,848 per month in Waltham, MA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Waltham, MA $8,848
Medellin $3,186

Waltham, MA costs about 161% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Waltham, MA and Medellin sit above the global median – Waltham, MA by 214%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.85 $24.85

$8.09 COP 26.1K

207.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$47.05 COP 151.9K

105.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$9.50 COP 30.7K

26.53%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.01 COP 9,735

71.76%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.80 COP 5,809

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.41 COP 4,561

56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.18 COP 10.3K

58.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.75 COP 18.6K

40.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.51 COP 4,876

-31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.38 COP 7,678

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.77 COP 5,720

203.39%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$2.89 COP 9,333

69.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$10.19 COP 32.9K

8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.87 COP 31.9K

43.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$13.99 COP 45.2K

24.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.97 COP 12.8K

67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.55 COP 5,012

11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.18 COP 7,048

151.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.18 COP 7,051

159.17%

Potato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.96 COP 6,337

130.61%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.59 COP 5,132

152.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.15 COP 3,699

159.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.24 COP 4,014

137.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.30 $13.30

$3.96 COP 12.8K

235.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 $13.60

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.66 COP 5,359

27.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.26 COP 7,291

82.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 $58.8

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-23.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.27 COP 4,094

109.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.05 COP 6,612

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.47 $28.47

$8.55 COP 27.6K

232.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.35 COP 4,349

-22.22%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-20.76%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.70%

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

$324 $324

$170 COP 547.8K

90.75%

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

$54.6 $54.6

$13.55 COP 43.8K

303.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.2 $86.2

$28.07 COP 90.6K

207.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$252 $252

$43.70 COP 141.1K

476.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 $14.65

$6.91 COP 22.3K

112.01%

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

$1,806 $1,806

$797 COP 2.6M

126.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

232.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 $56.9

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-32.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-35.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$135 COP 435.8K

-39.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$97.9 COP 316.0K

0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,497 $2,497

$1,208 COP 3.9M

106.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$642 COP 2.1M

293.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,433 $5,433

$2,028 COP 6.5M

167.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 $5,088

$1,012 COP 3.3M

402.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,449 $5,449

$657 COP 2.1M

729.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

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

Last update for Waltham, MA: 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

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 59%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 74.6% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$464 10.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 54.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$455 10.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 34.8% $158

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$359 8.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.7% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$281 6.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 79.6% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$124 2.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 36.8% $45

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 33.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,497 in Waltham, MA 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 Waltham, MA are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Waltham, MA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $455 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

Same time as Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waltham, MA Medellin 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waltham, MA is pricier by about 161%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,418 per month in Waltham, MA 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 $2,497 in Waltham, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Waltham, MA 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 $4,278 in Waltham, MA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 62% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Waltham, MA at $4,278. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waltham, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waltham, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.