Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zug and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $4,837 in Zug, rent and utilities included – about $38,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

236

Cost of Living Index in Zug
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Zug Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,837

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,837 per month in Zug vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Zug $4,837
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $7,605 per month in Zug vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Zug $7,605
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $10.4K per month in Zug vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Zug $10.4K
Medellin $3,199

Zug costs about 198% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zug and Medellin sit above the global median – Zug by 257%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$36.92 CHF 30.56

$8.30 COP 26.0K

344.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$178 CHF 148

$46.91 COP 147.0K

280.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$23.76 CHF 19.66

$9.24 COP 28.9K

157.14%

Cappuccino

$7.12 CHF 5.90

$3.05 COP 9,560

133.44%

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

$6.16 CHF 5.10

$1.80 COP 5,638

242.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CHF 4.99

$1.38 COP 4,329

336.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.45 CHF 7.82

$3.24 COP 10.1K

191.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.71 CHF 6.38

$5.56 COP 17.4K

38.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$1.50 COP 4,703

46.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 CHF 3.31

$2.37 COP 7,417

68.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CHF 3.43

$1.70 COP 5,312

143.53%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.52

$2.96 COP 9,266

166.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.44 CHF 22.71

$10.22 COP 32.0K

168.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$31.40 CHF 25.99

$9.74 COP 30.5K

222.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.61 CHF 34.44

$13.90 COP 43.5K

199.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 CHF 3.08

$4.13 COP 12.9K

-9.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CHF 1.62

$1.53 COP 4,781

27.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 CHF 2.34

$2.22 COP 6,967

27.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 CHF 4.43

$2.27 COP 7,108

135.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.69

$1.99 COP 6,235

2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.83

$1.67 COP 5,222

32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 CHF 1.99

$1.18 COP 3,697

103.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.24 COP 3,872

7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 CHF 9.06

$3.87 COP 12.1K

182.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.81 CHF 14.74

$13.78 COP 43.2K

29.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 CHF 2.44

$1.66 COP 5,193

77.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 CHF 3.21

$2.40 COP 7,523

61.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.88 CHF 4.04

$1.24 COP 3,896

293.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$161 CHF 133

$78.2 COP 245.0K

105.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 CHF 7.32

$1.28 COP 3,996

590.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.17 CHF 5.11

$2.15 COP 6,721

186.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.93 CHF 30.56

$8.37 COP 26.2K

341.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.35 COP 4,236

65.19%

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

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

$34.8K COP 108.9M

10.63%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.8K

$34.7K COP 108.6M

14.39%

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

$276 CHF 229

$167 COP 522.0K

65.91%

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

$38.12 CHF 31.55

$13.62 COP 42.7K

179.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$29.12 COP 91.2K

111.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 CHF 99.9

$45.09 COP 141.2K

167.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.40 CHF 26.81

$17.18 COP 53.8K

88.59%

Cinema Ticket

$23.71 CHF 19.62

$6.97 COP 21.8K

240.17%

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

$4,240 CHF 3,509

$790 COP 2.5M

436.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

$9,041 COP 28.3M

287.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$168 CHF 139

$87.8 COP 275.0K

90.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 CHF 55.9

$58.2 COP 182.1K

16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 CHF 127

$139 COP 435.4K

10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$272 CHF 225

$98.9 COP 309.7K

174.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,874 CHF 3,206

$1,028 COP 3.2M

276.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 CHF 2,131

$620 COP 1.9M

315.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,833 CHF 5,655

$1,881 COP 5.9M

263.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,953 CHF 4,099

$1,008 COP 3.2M

391.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$31.1K CHF 25.7K

$3,988 COP 12.5M

678.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$21.2K CHF 17.5K

$1,702 COP 5.3M

1143.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,434 CHF 6,153

$663 COP 2.1M

1020.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

10.94

-82.63%

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

Last update for Zug: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zug

$2.6K 53.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 75.9% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Zug

$637 13.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 53.2% $339

Eating Out

Zug

$564 11.7%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 69.7% $393

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zug

$376 7.8%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 44.4% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Zug

$297 6.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 41.9% $125

Getting Around

Zug

$220 4.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 56.7% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Zug

$168 3.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 64.9% $109

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,874 in Zug versus $1,028 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 Zug are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $178 in Zug versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $637 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zug

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

20:36 8:36 PM

6 h behind Zug

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,251

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.19 USD

10,000 COP = 2.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 3,132 COP (10,000 COP = 3.19 USD). 1 EUR = 3,507 COP (10,000 COP = 2.85 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zug Medellin 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zug
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

Zug vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zug is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,255 per month in Zug and $2,437 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 $1,028 there versus $3,874 in Zug.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $178 in Zug 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 $4,837 in Zug and $1,625 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 198%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Zug at $4,837. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zug 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zug makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.