Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,772 per month in Zagreb vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Zagreb $1,772
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,619 per month in Zagreb vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Zagreb $2,619
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Zagreb vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Zagreb $3,467
Medellin $3,186

Zagreb costs about 8% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zagreb and Medellin sit above the global median – Zagreb by 30%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.08

$8.09 COP 25.4K

52.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.5

$47.05 COP 148.0K

35.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.20

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-15.68%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.25

$3.01 COP 9,485

-16.94%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$1.80 COP 5,660

71.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.41 COP 4,443

85.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.18 COP 9,990

7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-21.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.51 COP 4,751

-15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.38 COP 7,480

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$1.77 COP 5,573

51.41%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.55

$2.89 COP 9,093

36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.10

$10.19 COP 32.1K

43.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.30

$9.87 COP 31.1K

16.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.59

$13.99 COP 44.0K

24.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-41.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.55 COP 4,883

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.18 COP 6,867

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.18 COP 6,870

17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.96 COP 6,174

-30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.59 COP 5,000

-24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.15 COP 3,604

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.24 COP 3,911

4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.46

$3.96 COP 12.5K

53.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.94

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.66 COP 5,222

1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.26 COP 7,104

8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.17 COP 3,674

-51.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.83

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-31.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.27 COP 3,989

71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$2.05 COP 6,442

-29.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.13

$8.55 COP 26.9K

44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.35 COP 4,237

40.74%

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

$27.9K €25.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-18.03%

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

$26.0K €23.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.97%

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

$215 €193

$170 COP 533.7K

26.70%

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

$22.34 €20.07

$13.55 COP 42.6K

64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.80

$28.07 COP 88.3K

37.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.71

$43.70 COP 137.5K

11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €17.02

$17.19 COP 54.1K

10.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.35

$6.91 COP 21.7K

50.65%

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

$499 €448

$797 COP 2.5M

-37.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,733

$9,112 COP 28.7M

6.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.6

$84.7 COP 266.5K

28.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.94

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.9

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.3

$97.9 COP 307.9K

12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €798

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-26.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €614

$642 COP 2.0M

6.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,319

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-27.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €958

$1,012 COP 3.2M

5.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,740

$4,170 COP 13.1M

26.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,297

$1,910 COP 6.0M

92.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,774

$657 COP 2.1M

200.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.94

-69.84%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 6.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 5.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.5% $65

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 15.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.3% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17.2% $12

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 44.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $888 in Zagreb 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 Zagreb are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Zagreb versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

6 h behind Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

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

Zagreb Medellin 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Zagreb
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

Zagreb vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zagreb is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,658 per month in Zagreb 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 Zagreb, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $888 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Zagreb 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 $1,772 in Zagreb and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 8%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,772 in Zagreb and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,772 in Zagreb. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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