Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $4,519 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $35,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

218

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
Learn more

Zurich Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,519

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,519 per month in Zurich vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Zurich $4,519
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $6,911 per month in Zurich vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Zurich $6,911
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $9,303 per month in Zurich vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Zurich $9,303
Medellin $3,139

Zurich costs about 184% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Medellin sit above the global median – Zurich by 237%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.88 CHF 28.95

$8.01 COP 25.5K

335.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$46.55 COP 148.3K

213.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.22

$9.43 COP 30.1K

94.49%

Cappuccino

$6.94 CHF 5.76

$2.91 COP 9,277

138.49%

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

$5.94 CHF 4.93

$1.75 COP 5,585

239.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 CHF 4.38

$1.32 COP 4,218

299.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.91 CHF 8.22

$3.13 COP 9,969

216.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.48 CHF 7.04

$5.55 COP 17.7K

52.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.74

$1.41 COP 4,495

48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 CHF 3.17

$2.44 COP 7,777

56.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.11

$1.63 COP 5,191

129.45%

Eggs

$8.49 CHF 7.04

$2.82 COP 8,990

201.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.67 CHF 22.14

$9.69 COP 30.9K

175.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.17 CHF 23.38

$9.32 COP 29.7K

202.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.8 CHF 50.4

$13.46 COP 42.9K

351.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CHF 3.48

$4.00 COP 12.8K

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.22

$1.48 COP 4,719

81.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.81

$2.12 COP 6,768

59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 CHF 3.70

$2.25 COP 7,178

98.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CHF 2.13

$1.91 COP 6,092

34.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CHF 1.85

$1.62 COP 5,160

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CHF 2.09

$1.15 COP 3,658

118.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.04

$1.26 COP 4,021

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 9.06

$3.82 COP 12.2K

185.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 CHF 11.54

$13.11 COP 41.8K

6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 CHF 2.30

$1.60 COP 5,083

73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 CHF 2.55

$2.26 COP 7,188

35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.59 CHF 4.64

$1.17 COP 3,731

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 87.4

$75.0 COP 239.0K

40.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.59

$1.27 COP 4,056

525.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.64 CHF 3.85

$2.05 COP 6,531

126.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.7 CHF 74.4

$8.20 COP 26.1K

993.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.93

$1.27 COP 4,046

83.46%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

48.94%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.5K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

13.66%

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

$275 CHF 228

$162 COP 516.9K

69.42%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.41

$13.12 COP 41.8K

179.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 46.07

$28.09 COP 89.5K

97.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.7 CHF 75.3

$44.33 COP 141.2K

104.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$62.1 CHF 51.6

$16.33 COP 52.0K

280.40%

Cinema Ticket

$24.25 CHF 20.13

$6.09 COP 19.4K

298.19%

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

$3,617 CHF 3,002

$764 COP 2.4M

373.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.7K CHF 35.5K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

380.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 117

$85.0 COP 270.8K

65.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 CHF 48.92

$57.5 COP 183.2K

2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 138

$132 COP 419.8K

26.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$251 CHF 208

$95.8 COP 305.1K

162.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 CHF 2,457

$1,028 COP 3.3M

187.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,296 CHF 1,906

$604 COP 1.9M

279.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,003 CHF 4,982

$1,802 COP 5.7M

233.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,217 CHF 3,500

$993 COP 3.2M

324.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.7K CHF 23.0K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

605.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.1K CHF 13.3K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

881.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,005 CHF 6,644

$626 COP 2.0M

1178.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

10.94

-81.08%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 51.8%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 73.7% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$669 15.1%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 56.9% $381

Eating Out

Zurich

$529 11.9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 68.5% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$367 8.3%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 44.6% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$277 6.3%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 40% $111

Getting Around

Zurich

$159 3.6%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 42.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$139 3.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 59.4% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,960 in Zurich 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 run about 1178% higher in Zurich, 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 $146 in Zurich versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $669 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

7 h behind Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zurich Medellin 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zurich
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

Zurich vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 184%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,779 per month in Zurich and $2,384 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 $146 in Zurich and $47.00 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 $4,519 in Zurich and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 184%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Zurich at $4,519. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zurich 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, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.