✦ Compare
Madrid vs
Medellín
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Madrid, ES vs Medellín, CO at a glance — Medellín, CO is 52% cheaper than Madrid, ES overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $550/mo versus $1,300/mo. Top income tax: 39% vs 47%.
To keep the same standard of living in Medellín, CO, you'd need
$35,891 / year
Medellín, CO is 52% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Medellín, CO vs Madrid, ES)
- Housing-65%
- Food & groceries-52%
- Transport-50%
- Utilities-50%
- Healthcare-31%
- Goods & services-42%
◎ How Madrid, ES and Medellín, CO compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Madrid, ES | Medellín, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 49 |
| Housing | 120 | 42 |
| Food | 100 | 48 |
| Transport | 80 | 40 |
| Utilities | 110 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 55 |
| Goods & services | 100 | 58 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $550/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $950/mo | $350/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,000 | $1,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $971 | $2,029 |
| Inexpensive meal | $14 | $5 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $40 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 47% | 39% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 6.4% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 35% |
| Capital gains | 28% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $450/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $57,779✓ | — |
| Minimum wage | $1,652/mo✓ | $330/mo |
| GDP per capita | $38,627✓ | $6,976✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.7%✓ | 5.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 70 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 74 | 59 |
| Safety index | 62 | 48 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 70 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 80 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 55 |
| Public transport | 90 | 68 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 58 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 74 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | +22 °C |
| July avg | +25 °C | +22 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 250 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 420 mm | 1,600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Spain vs Colombia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Madrid vs Medellín — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Madrid
Spain's sunny, sociable capital — great transit and food, affordable by Western-European standards.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Malasaña · Chamberí · La Latina
Good to know before you move to Medellín
A dramatic turnaround story with a year-round spring climate and a modern metro. El Poblado and Laureles anchor a booming nomad scene; costs are low and healthcare excellent, but safety still varies sharply by neighbourhood.
- Currency
- Colombian peso ($ COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 110V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- El Poblado · Laureles · Envigado · Belén
Plan your move to Madrid
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Medellín
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Madrid to Medellín: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Madrid to Medellín, your cost of living will be roughly 52% cheaper. Medellín’s cost-of-living index is 49 versus 103 for Madrid (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Madrid cheaper than Medellín?
Medellín is about 52% cheaper than Madrid overall — its cost-of-living index is 49 versus 103 for Madrid.
Which is more expensive, Madrid or Medellín?
Madrid is more expensive than Medellín. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 49 (US = 100) — about 110% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Madrid or Medellín?
Rent is cheaper in Medellín — about $550/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,300 in Madrid.
How much do you need to earn in Medellín to live like in Madrid?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Madrid is worth about $35,891 in Medellín. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Madrid or Medellín?
Colombia has the lower top income-tax rate — 39% versus 47% in Spain.
◷ More comparisons from Madrid
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.