Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between York and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,187 in York, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

York
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,187
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,187 per month in York vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

  • York $2,187
  • Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,476 per month in York vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

  • York $3,476
  • Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,765 per month in York vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

  • York $4,765
  • Medellin $3,190

York costs about 36% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both York and Medellin sit above the global median – York by 62%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
York
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.73 £20.05
$7.93 COP 25.2K
237.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.3 £66.2
$46.13 COP 146.3K
91.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 £7.91
$9.50 COP 30.1K
10.95%
Cappuccino
$4.97 £3.73
$3.11 COP 9,866
59.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 £2.01
$1.83 COP 5,800
45.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.38 COP 4,360
31.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.49 £4.87
$3.05 COP 9,672
112.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.52 £4.89
$5.50 COP 17.4K
18.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
York
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.45 COP 4,600
13.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 £1.14
$2.36 COP 7,496
-35.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.68 COP 5,328
16.67%
Eggs
$3.69 £2.77
$2.86 COP 9,077
29.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 £6.60
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-13.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.16 £6.12
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-14.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.91 £7.43
$14.04 COP 44.5K
-29.42%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 £2.49
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-18.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 £1.46
$1.50 COP 4,742
30.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.35 £1.76
$2.17 COP 6,891
8.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.69 £3.52
$2.31 COP 7,310
103.03%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 £2.28
$1.93 COP 6,113
57.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 £1.23
$1.64 COP 5,196
-0.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.13 COP 3,571
30.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 £1.06
$1.25 COP 3,954
12.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.35 £17.52
$3.99 COP 12.6K
485.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.96 £8.97
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-10.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.05 £3.04
$1.70 COP 5,384
138.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 £3.55
$2.37 COP 7,525
99.58%
🚌 Getting Around
York
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.91 £2.93
$1.21 COP 3,827
223.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$114 £85.7
$76.5 COP 242.5K
49.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.38 £3.29
$1.32 COP 4,179
231.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.67 £2.00
$2.14 COP 6,774
24.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.02 £14.27
$8.47 COP 26.8K
124.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 £1.51
$1.30 COP 4,114
54.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.6K £28.2K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
34.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.8K £29.9K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
12.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
York
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 £150
$172 COP 545.6K
16.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.63 £12.48
$13.37 COP 42.4K
24.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.71 £35.79
$28.73 COP 91.1K
66.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
York
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.89 £36.68
$45.24 COP 143.5K
8.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.91 £17.94
$17.04 COP 54.0K
40.32%
Cinema Ticket
$13.03 £9.78
$6.28 COP 19.9K
107.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
York
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,627 £1,220
$770 COP 2.4M
111.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K £12.1K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
78.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
York
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.8 £45.64
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-29.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.10 £27.83
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-35.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.9 £57.7
$137 COP 432.9K
-43.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 £58.9
$97.9 COP 310.4K
-19.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
York
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,226 £920
$1,055 COP 3.3M
16.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 £688
$616 COP 2.0M
48.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,502 £1,877
$1,892 COP 6.0M
32.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,875 £1,407
$1,023 COP 3.2M
83.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,897 £3,674
$4,059 COP 12.9M
20.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,877 £2,908
$1,678 COP 5.3M
130.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
York
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,465 £2,600
$652 COP 2.1M
431.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
10.94
-48.72%

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

Last update for York: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
York
$917
Medellin
$616 32.8% $301
Eating Out
York
$369
Medellin
$168 54.3% $200
Groceries & Markets
York
$301
Medellin
$295 2.1% $6.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
York
$265
Medellin
$214 19.1% $50
Getting Around
York
$148
Medellin
$93 36.8% $54
Clothing & Footwear
York
$114
Medellin
$170 49.2% $56
Sport & Entertainment
York
$75
Medellin
$58 22.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,226 in York 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 431% higher in York, 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 $88.0 in York versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 York
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
18:12 6:12 PM
12:12 12:12 PM
6 h behind York
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
137,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • York Medellin 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • York
  • 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
York vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than York?
Yes – York is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,281 per month in York and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in York or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in York and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in York and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,187 in York and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 36%.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in York or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in York at $2,187. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in York it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is York or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, York or Medellin?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, York makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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