Medellin
- Population
- 2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 6.25° N, 75.57° W
- Time zone
- America/Bogota
- Prices for
- Sep 2026
One person needs about $1,744 a month in Medellin, rent included: 71% less than in New York. The average net salary is $664 a month.
Livability
Seven domain scores, weighted by how much each matters to daily life; each is a percentile among the cities with that data. Ranks count only high-confidence cities: six or more domains and twenty or more contributors.
59out of 100
- Purchasing power25%30
- Safety20%46
- Health care15%79
- Climate10%100
- Air quality10%83
- Connectivity10%77
- Cost10%45
How each domain is scored
- Purchasing power, 25%
- What a local net salary buys against local prices, as a percentile.
- Safety, 20%
- Numbeo safety index for the city, or for its country when the city has no survey.
- Health care, 15%
- Numbeo health care index, city first, then country.
- Climate, 10%
- Numbeo climate index where surveyed, otherwise a comfort score from NASA climate normals.
- Air quality, 10%
- 30-day mean US AQI on a 0-100 scale: 100 at AQI 25 or cleaner, 0 at 150 or worse.
- Connectivity, 10%
- Percentile of median fixed broadband download speed, city first, then country.
- Cost, 10%
- Cheaper places score higher: the percentile of the cost-of-living plus rent index, inverted.
- Worldwide, among high-confidence cities
- #662
- Livability rank in Colombia
- #2
- Cheapest-city rank, worldwide
- #1,865
What it costs
US dollars a month. Indices compare with New York, which is 100; changes are against the same month a year earlier.
Cost of living index
45.8
New York = 100, rent excluded
+55.0%in 12 months
Rent index
20.9
New York = 100
+100.4%in 12 months
Purchasing power
43.5
Net salary against costs, New York = 100
Net salary
$664
Average, after tax
One person
$1,744
$688 without rent
Family of four
$4,479
$2,585 without rent
Rent, one bedroom in the centre
$1,056
159% of a net salary
Price to income
21.7
Years of income to buy a 90 m² flat
Prices
55 everyday prices in US dollars, the median of this month's contributions, each against a base you choose.
Compare with
Differences are against New York; teal marks a price that is lower (or a salary that is higher).
| Item | Medellin | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.95 | $25.00 | −68% |
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | $47.69 | $140 | −66% |
| McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent combo meal) | $9.54 | $14.00 | −32% |
| Domestic beer (0.5 l, draught) | $3.18 | $8.00 | −60% |
| Imported beer (0.33 l bottle, restaurant) | $5.72 | $10.00 | −43% |
| Cappuccino (regular) | $3.02 | $6.37 | −53% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 l bottle) | $1.84 | $3.80 | −52% |
| Water (0.33 l bottle) | $1.47 | $2.89 | −49% |
| Markets | |||
| Milk (1 l) | $1.39 | $1.36 | +2% |
| Loaf of fresh white bread (500g) | $2.47 | $4.68 | −47% |
| Rice, white (1 kg) | $1.74 | $6.97 | −75% |
| Eggs (12) | $2.87 | $5.73 | −50% |
| Local cheese (1 kg) | $10.13 | $17.38 | −42% |
| Chicken fillets (1 kg) | $9.80 | $15.11 | −35% |
| Beef round (1 kg, or equivalent red meat) | $14.09 | $17.77 | −21% |
| Apples (1 kg) | $4.05 | $6.11 | −34% |
| Bananas (1 kg) | $1.55 | $2.20 | −30% |
| Oranges (1 kg) | $2.19 | $5.77 | −62% |
| Tomato (1 kg) | $2.26 | $6.25 | −64% |
| Potato (1 kg) | $1.96 | $3.47 | −44% |
| Onion (1 kg) | $1.49 | $4.17 | −64% |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $1.17 | $2.72 | −57% |
| Water (1.5 l bottle) | $1.27 | $2.50 | −49% |
| Bottle of wine, mid-range | $13.77 | $20.00 | −31% |
| Domestic beer (0.5 l bottle) | $1.67 | $3.21 | −48% |
| Imported beer (0.33 l bottle) | $2.80 | $3.96 | −29% |
| Cigarettes (20 pack, Marlboro) | $3.93 | $19.00 | −79% |
| Transport | |||
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.21 | $3.00 | −60% |
| Monthly pass, regular price | $78.84 | $140 | −44% |
| Taxi start, normal tariff | $1.32 | $3.00 | −56% |
| Taxi, 1 km, normal tariff | $2.11 | $2.18 | −3% |
| Taxi, 1 hour waiting, normal tariff | $8.42 | $42.00 | −80% |
| Gasoline (1 l) | $1.33 | $1.10 | +21% |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (or equivalent new car) | $27,974 | $35,458 | −21% |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW (or equivalent new car) | $35,872 | $25,309 | +42% |
| Utilities, per month | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) | — | — | — |
| Mobile plan (calls + 10GB data) | $13.65 | $73.50 | −81% |
| Internet (60 Mbps+, unlimited, cable/ADSL) | $28.86 | $71.93 | −60% |
| Sports and leisure | |||
| Fitness club, monthly fee (1 adult) | $45.11 | $126 | −64% |
| Tennis court rent (1 hour, weekend) | $17.06 | $62.38 | −73% |
| Cinema, 1 seat, international release | $6.52 | $23.00 | −72% |
| Childcare | |||
| Preschool, full day, private (monthly, 1 child) | $797 | $3,366 | −76% |
| International primary school (yearly, 1 child) | $9,104 | $60,589 | −85% |
| Clothing and shoes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levi's 501 or similar) | $87.21 | $72.80 | +20% |
| 1 summer dress, chain store (Zara, H&M) | $59.14 | $53.22 | +11% |
| 1 pair of Nike running shoes, mid-range | $139 | $118 | +18% |
| 1 pair of men's leather business shoes | $100 | $125 | −20% |
| Rent, per month | |||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre | $1,056 | $4,417 | −76% |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside centre | $654 | $3,033 | −78% |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre | $1,894 | $9,242 | −80% |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside centre | $1,031 | $5,461 | −81% |
| Buying an apartment | |||
| Price per square meter, apartment in city centre | $4,069 | $18,759 | −78% |
| Price per square meter, apartment outside centre | $1,683 | $6,523 | −74% |
| Salary and financing | |||
| Average monthly net salary, after tax | $664 | $5,178 | −87% |
| Mortgage interest rate, 20-year fixed rate (%) | 10.94% | 6.49% | +4.4 pts |
Three years of prices
Each line starts at 100 in its first month, so a rise in rent can be read against a rise in salary on the same scale. The core basket is twelve everyday prices. Hover for the actual values.
Show the monthly values
| Month | Core basket index | Rent, 1 bedroom | Net salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | — | $1,056 | $664 |
| Aug 2026 | — | $982 | $653 |
| Jul 2026 | — | — | — |
| Jun 2026 | — | — | — |
| May 2026 | 40.8 | $680 | $514 |
| Apr 2026 | 42.3 | $694 | $532 |
| Mar 2026 | 41.7 | $685 | $551 |
| Feb 2026 | 40.0 | $640 | $541 |
| Jan 2026 | 39.5 | $624 | $518 |
| Dec 2025 | 38.0 | $617 | $514 |
| Nov 2025 | 35.4 | $584 | $568 |
| Oct 2025 | 34.0 | $531 | $549 |
| Sep 2025 | 32.7 | $527 | $532 |
| Aug 2025 | 32.1 | $517 | $517 |
| Jul 2025 | 31.4 | $511 | $492 |
| May 2025 | 30.7 | $464 | $448 |
| Apr 2025 | 31.0 | $461 | $441 |
| Mar 2025 | 32.2 | $491 | $436 |
| Feb 2025 | 31.7 | $473 | $432 |
| Jan 2025 | 29.7 | $448 | $410 |
| Dec 2024 | 29.1 | $444 | $411 |
| Nov 2024 | 28.7 | $446 | $394 |
| Oct 2024 | 29.9 | $459 | $412 |
| Sep 2024 | 31.3 | $476 | $425 |
| Aug 2024 | 33.3 | $482 | $433 |
| Jul 2024 | 32.5 | $447 | $424 |
| Jun 2024 | 32.1 | $452 | $419 |
| May 2024 | 33.5 | $471 | $423 |
| Apr 2024 | 33.0 | $463 | $430 |
| Mar 2024 | 32.8 | $460 | $420 |
| Feb 2024 | 32.1 | $452 | $404 |
| Jan 2024 | 32.4 | $441 | $398 |
| Dec 2023 | 30.3 | $420 | $389 |
| Nov 2023 | 29.2 | $410 | $370 |
| Oct 2023 | 28.1 | $386 | $352 |
Safety
Numbeo crime survey, 2026-mid. Both indices run 0 to 100; they are two sides of the same answers.
Safety index45.9Higher is safer−0.5 since the previous survey
Crime index54.1Lower is better
- Feeling safe overall45.9
- Safety in the quality-of-life survey45.9
Quality of life
Numbeo's published indices for Medellin, 2026-mid. Listed as Numbeo computes them, next to this index's own figures above.
- Quality of lifeHigher is better
- 117.8
- Health careHigher is better
- 78.9
- Purchasing powerHigher is better
- 35.0
- ClimateHigher is better
- 99.8
- PollutionLower is better
- 62.5
- Traffic commute timeLower is better
- 37.8
- One-way commuteMinutes, average
- 38
- Property price to incomeYears; lower is better
- 19.4
- Cost of living (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 39.1
- Rent (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 19.1
- Groceries (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 40.0
- Restaurants (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 33.9
Climate
Monthly means from NASA POWER climate normals. Temperature bands use the same scale on every city page.
°C171818181818181818171717Rain, mm134111155230246179183206202232221172JFMAMJJASOND
- Annual mean
- 17.7 °C
- Warmest monthMarch
- 18.1 °C
- Coldest monthNovember
- 17.1 °C
- Rain a year
- 2,270 mm
- HumidityRelative, annual mean
- 88%
- SunshineSolar energy per day
- 4.9 kWh/m²
- Clear-sky daysA year
- 0
- Comfort score0-100, 100 at 14-22 °C
- 79
Air, internet and housing
The last 30 days of air, the latest month of broadband tests, and the property survey.
Air
Good
US AQI, the latest day
- Unhealthy days
- 0AQI above 100
- Worst day
- 46
- PM2.5
- 7.2µg/m³, mean
- Air score
- 830-100
Internet
Measured in Medellin270Mbps download, fixed broadband, median+22% since Aug 2025
- Upload
- 94Mbps, fixed
- Latency
- 5ms, fixed
- Mobile download
- 58Mbps
- Mobile latency
- 23ms
Speedtest Global Index, Aug 2026.
Housing
$4,069Per m² to buy in the centre, $1,683 outside
- Price to income
- 21.7Years of income, 90 m² flat
- Price to rent
- 17.7Years of rent, centre
- Rental yield
- 5.7%Gross, centre
- Mortgage rate
- 10.94%20-year fixed
- 80 m² in the centre
- 40.9Years of net salary
Numbeo property survey, 20 Sept 2026.
Cities like Medellin
In other countries, with the closest livability score and cost of living index.
- SzombathelyHungary
- Livability
- 59
- Cost index
- 45.9
- Banja LukaBosnia & Herzegovina
- Livability
- 59
- Cost index
- 46.3
- Bishoftu (Debre Zeit)Ethiopia
- Livability
- 59
- Cost index
- 46.0
- Hodmezovasarhely (Hódmezővásárhely)Hungary
- Livability
- 59
- Cost index
- 46.1
- Punta ArenasChile
- Livability
- 59
- Cost index
- 45.8
About these numbers
What the figures on this page rest on.
- Confidence
- High confidence
- Contributors
- 52Numbeo price survey
- Latest prices
- Sep 20263 readings that month
- Months with prices
- 11 of 12Last 12 months
- Items priced
- 98%1 basket items from the country median
- Location
- Matched to a GeoNames reference city
- Index rebuilt
- 24 Sept 2026