# Cost of living in Medellín, Colombia

> Spring weather every day of the year, a cheap two-year nomad visa, and neighbourhood-level safety variance.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/medellin
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 45% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** COP
- **Region:** Latin America
- **Cost index:** 18 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,121 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,636 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $3,031 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $480 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $36 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $18 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $11 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $232 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $35 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $41 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $32 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $18 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $31 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $19 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $16 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $35 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $5.00 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $65 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $48 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$1,121** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Colombia:

- Income tax: $27,956
- Employee social contributions: $8,000
- Take-home: $64,044/year ($5,337/month)
- Effective rate: 36.0%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $4,216/month

Average local net salary: $450/month, which covers 0.4x the one-adult budget.

- UVT-indexed brackets approximated in pesos.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 46 |
| Healthcare | 66 |
| Air quality | 48 |
| Public transport | 62 |
| Walkability | 66 |
| English proficiency | 34 |
| Family friendliness | 64 |
| Nightlife | 88 |
| Median broadband | 100 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 22°C; summer highs 28°C; winter lows 17°C; 1900 sunshine hours and 1650 mm of rain a year. Climate type: tropical.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 20.3, 20.4, 20.6, 20.6, 20.8, 20.6, 21.1, 21, 21.2, 20.3, 20.2, 20.6.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 91, 134, 170, 254, 264, 208, 94, 155, 154, 247, 230, 117.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- Visa V Nómadas Digitales runs up to two years with a low income threshold (~3x minimum wage).
- Coast: 180 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: America/Bogota
- Metro population: 4.1 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 45% derived, 55% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/medellin
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/medellin
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities