Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Ashgabat versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Ashgabat $3,331
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,094 in Ashgabat versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Ashgabat $5,094
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,857 in Ashgabat versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Ashgabat $6,857
Medellin $3,139

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 110% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 149% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.23 TMT 105

$8.01 COP 25.5K

289.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 TMT 286

$46.55 COP 148.3K

82.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 TMT 42.51

$9.43 COP 30.1K

34.15%

Cappuccino

$6.59 TMT 22.13

$2.91 COP 9,277

126.46%

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

$1.53 TMT 5.16

$1.75 COP 5,585

-12.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.75

$1.32 COP 4,218

-37.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 TMT 19.04

$3.13 COP 9,969

81.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.74 TMT 46.18

$5.55 COP 17.7K

147.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.48 TMT 15.05

$1.41 COP 4,495

217.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 TMT 6.90

$2.44 COP 7,777

-15.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 TMT 19.54

$1.63 COP 5,191

257.06%

Eggs

$5.93 TMT 19.93

$2.82 COP 8,990

110.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.90 TMT 127

$9.69 COP 30.9K

291.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.09 TMT 67.5

$9.32 COP 29.7K

115.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 TMT 79.0

$13.46 COP 42.9K

74.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 TMT 16.75

$4.00 COP 12.8K

24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$8.53 TMT 28.66

$1.48 COP 4,719

476.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.60

$2.12 COP 6,768

245.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 TMT 12.12

$2.25 COP 7,178

60.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.82

$1.91 COP 6,092

21.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 TMT 4.91

$1.62 COP 5,160

-9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 TMT 9.03

$1.15 COP 3,658

133.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 TMT 3.75

$1.26 COP 4,021

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.56 TMT 85.9

$3.82 COP 12.2K

569.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$42.09 TMT 141

$13.11 COP 41.8K

221.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.26 TMT 17.67

$1.60 COP 5,083

228.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 TMT 9.70

$2.26 COP 7,188

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$1.17 COP 3,731

-87.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.89 TMT 33.23

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-86.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 TMT 9.76

$1.27 COP 4,056

128.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 TMT 2.97

$2.05 COP 6,531

-57.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 TMT 28.25

$8.20 COP 26.1K

2.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 TMT 1.49

$1.27 COP 4,046

-65.35%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.7K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

66.41%

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

$57.2K TMT 192.0K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

66.12%

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

$580 TMT 1,950

$162 COP 516.9K

257.73%

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

$56.8 TMT 191

$13.12 COP 41.8K

333.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 348

$28.09 COP 89.5K

268.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$191 TMT 642

$44.33 COP 141.2K

331.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.50 TMT 153

$16.33 COP 52.0K

178.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 TMT 28.67

$6.09 COP 19.4K

40.07%

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

$23.05 TMT 77.5

$764 COP 2.4M

-96.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K TMT 83.3K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

178.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 TMT 184

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-35.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$115 TMT 386

$57.5 COP 183.2K

99.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,227

$132 COP 419.8K

177.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 TMT 634

$95.8 COP 305.1K

96.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 TMT 4,709

$1,028 COP 3.3M

36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,361

$604 COP 1.9M

65.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,288 TMT 7,686

$1,802 COP 5.7M

26.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 TMT 6,452

$993 COP 3.2M

93.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 TMT 11.9K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-10.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,813 TMT 9,450

$1,639 COP 5.2M

71.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$736 TMT 2,475

$626 COP 2.0M

17.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

10.94

-13.16%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 39.6% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$741 21.8%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 72.5% $537

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$671 19.8%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 57% $382

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$432 12.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 61.5% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$326 9.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 48.9% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$208 6.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 72.9% $152

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 413% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Ashgabat and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashgabat pays 18% 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: $85.0 in Ashgabat vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $671 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

10 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Medellin 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

Ashgabat vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashgabat and Medellin differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($3,331 vs $1,589 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Ashgabat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,402 in Ashgabat versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23.05 in Ashgabat versus $764 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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.

Safety-wise, Ashgabat and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.