Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zwolle and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,327 in Zwolle, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Zwolle, Netherlands
Medellin, Colombia
Zwolle
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,327
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,327 per month in Zwolle vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Zwolle $2,327
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,375 per month in Zwolle vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Zwolle $3,375
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,423 per month in Zwolle vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Zwolle $4,423
  • Medellin $3,186

Zwolle costs about 42% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zwolle and Medellin sit above the global median – Zwolle by 71%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.71 €18.56
$8.09 COP 26.1K
156.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 €73.8
$47.05 COP 151.9K
75.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.86 €10.62
$9.50 COP 30.7K
24.84%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.64
$3.01 COP 9,735
34.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 €3.08
$1.80 COP 5,809
91.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 €2.29
$1.41 COP 4,561
80.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.82 €6.11
$3.18 COP 10.3K
114.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 €5.08
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-1.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.51 COP 4,876
-23.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 €2.11
$2.38 COP 7,678
-0.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 €2.22
$1.77 COP 5,720
39.55%
Eggs
$4.60 €4.12
$2.89 COP 9,333
59.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.17 €11.80
$10.19 COP 32.9K
29.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.07 €12.61
$9.87 COP 31.9K
42.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.68 €14.95
$13.99 COP 45.2K
19.23%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 €1.70
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-52.39%
Banana (1kg)
$2.41 €2.16
$1.55 COP 5,012
55.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$2.18 COP 7,048
-14.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.58 €3.21
$2.18 COP 7,051
64.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 €1.53
$1.96 COP 6,337
-12.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.93 €1.73
$1.59 COP 5,132
21.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 €1.06
$1.15 COP 3,699
3.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 €0.63
$1.24 COP 4,014
-43.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.70 €12.28
$3.96 COP 12.8K
245.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.59 €5.91
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-51.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.66 COP 5,359
-15.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 €2.39
$2.26 COP 7,291
17.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.90 €5.29
$1.17 COP 3,771
404.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.5 €80.2
$77.4 COP 249.8K
15.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$1.27 COP 4,094
203.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.73 €2.44
$2.05 COP 6,612
33.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.75 €41.00
$8.55 COP 27.6K
435.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.35 COP 4,349
57.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.9K €37.5K
$34.1K COP 110.0M
22.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K €34.8K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
11.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$243 €218
$170 COP 547.8K
43.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.82 €19.55
$13.55 COP 43.8K
61.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.37 €39.76
$28.07 COP 90.6K
58.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.81 €36.57
$43.70 COP 141.1K
-6.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.31 €21.78
$17.19 COP 55.5K
41.42%
Cinema Ticket
$15.26 €13.67
$6.91 COP 22.3K
120.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,592 €1,427
$797 COP 2.6M
99.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,090 €7,249
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-11.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.0 €84.3
$84.7 COP 273.5K
10.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.0 €46.63
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-10.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.1 €79.0
$135 COP 435.8K
-34.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 €113
$97.9 COP 316.0K
28.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$991 €888
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-17.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 €909
$642 COP 2.1M
58.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,796 €1,609
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-11.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,477 €1,323
$1,012 COP 3.3M
45.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,798 €5,196
$4,170 COP 13.5M
39.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,444 €3,982
$1,910 COP 6.2M
132.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zwolle
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,965 €2,657
$657 COP 2.1M
351.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.23
10.94
-70.48%

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

Last update for Zwolle: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zwolle
$1K
Medellin
$642 36.8% $373
Groceries & Markets
Zwolle
$320
Medellin
$297 7.3% $23
Eating Out
Zwolle
$319
Medellin
$170 46.9% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zwolle
$309
Medellin
$211 31.7% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Zwolle
$162
Medellin
$169 4.4% $7.1
Getting Around
Zwolle
$131
Medellin
$94 28.4% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Zwolle
$71
Medellin
$58 19.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $991 in Zwolle 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 Zwolle are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Zwolle versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Zwolle
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
00:26 12:26 AM
6 h behind Zwolle
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
132,411
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zwolle Medellin 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zwolle
  • 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
Zwolle vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Zwolle?
Yes – Zwolle is pricier by about 42%, 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 $3,491 per month in Zwolle and $2,459 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 Zwolle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $991 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Zwolle or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Zwolle and $47 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 Zwolle and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,327 in Zwolle and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 30% cheaper.
Is it better to live in Zwolle or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,327 in Zwolle. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zwolle makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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