Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abadan, Iran and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $534 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$534

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $534 in Abadan versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Abadan $534
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $851 in Abadan versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Abadan $851
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,167 in Abadan versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Abadan $1,167
Medellin $3,249

Living in Abadan costs roughly 68% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abadan is 60% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 $2.96

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-64.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.06 $16.06

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-65.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 $3.94

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-58.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$1.10 $1.10

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-64.86%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$1.77 COP 5,704

-72.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.42 COP 4,600

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.53 COP 4,949

-32.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.29 COP 7,399

-79.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.94 COP 6,281

6.70%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$3.07 COP 9,902

-61.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-54.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-67.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-25.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-74.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.53 COP 4,936

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.10 COP 6,795

-59.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$2.29 COP 7,407

-75.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$2.11 COP 6,812

-74.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.71 COP 5,519

-72.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.17 COP 3,779

-51.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.58 COP 5,102

-84.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-35.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 $0.14

$1.18 COP 3,810

-88.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.46 $9.46

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-87.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.81 COP 5,835

-79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.13 COP 6,876

-86.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-67.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.28 COP 4,118

-92.97%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

45.14%

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

$45.1K $45.1K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

32.24%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$178 COP 573.9K

-92.56%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-88.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.02 $4.02

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-86.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.95 $18.95

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-54.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.28 $13.28

$16.80 COP 54.3K

-20.95%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-73.90%

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

$108 $108

$790 COP 2.6M

-86.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,416 $2,416

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-80.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.77 $22.77

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 $28.89

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-51.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 $96.2

$138 COP 446.7K

-30.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 $73.1

$98.8 COP 319.1K

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-78.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 $208

$667 COP 2.2M

-68.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 $799

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-59.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 $363

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-64.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-82.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 $1,037

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-46.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 $447

$646 COP 2.1M

-30.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

10.94

122.12%

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

Last update for Abadan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abadan

$208 38.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 221% $459

Groceries & Markets

Abadan

$119 22.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 159% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Abadan

$99 18.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 73.2% $73

Eating Out

Abadan

$55 10.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 217% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Abadan

$23 4.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 149% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abadan

$19 3.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 1080% $204

Getting Around

Abadan

$12 2.2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 690% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Abadan and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16 in Abadan vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $307 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Abadan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

8 h 30 min behind Abadan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,476

2,486,723

💱 Currency

USD USD

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Abadan Medellin 12,790 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Abadan
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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

Abadan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abadan is about 68% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Abadan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $290 in Abadan versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $534 per month in Abadan versus $1,692 in Medellin – Abadan is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $534 in Abadan versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.