Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baku and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $996 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$996

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Baku versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Baku $996
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,551 in Baku versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Baku $1,551
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,107 in Baku versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Baku $2,107
Medellin $3,199

Living in Baku costs roughly 39% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baku is 26% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 ₼15.02

$8.30 COP 26.3K

6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 ₼67.0

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-15.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 ₼14.04

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-10.61%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ₼5.95

$3.05 COP 9,676

14.75%

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

$1.12 ₼1.91

$1.80 COP 5,707

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₼0.97

$1.38 COP 4,382

-58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 ₼2.93

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 ₼5.06

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-46.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ₼2.54

$1.50 COP 4,760

-0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₼0.84

$2.37 COP 7,508

-79.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₼4.21

$1.70 COP 5,377

45.88%

Eggs

$1.99 ₼3.38

$2.96 COP 9,379

-32.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.16 ₼8.77

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-49.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 ₼8.79

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-46.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 ₼20.15

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-14.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 ₼2.28

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-67.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₼3.22

$1.53 COP 4,839

24.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 ₼2.68

$2.22 COP 7,052

-28.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₼3.13

$2.27 COP 7,194

-18.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ₼1.25

$1.99 COP 6,311

-62.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₼1.03

$1.67 COP 5,285

-63.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₼1.24

$1.18 COP 3,742

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₼1.32

$1.24 COP 3,919

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₼5.05

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₼14.59

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₼2.60

$1.66 COP 5,256

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₼4.79

$2.40 COP 7,615

17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₼0.62

$1.24 COP 3,944

-70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.86 ₼35.44

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-73.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₼3.60

$1.28 COP 4,044

65.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₼0.99

$2.15 COP 6,803

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₼6.18

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-56.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₼1.09

$1.35 COP 4,288

-52.59%

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

$23.3K ₼39.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-32.99%

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

$22.1K ₼37.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-36.36%

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

$67.7 ₼115

$167 COP 528.4K

-59.40%

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

$11.11 ₼18.88

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-18.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.09 ₼25.65

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-48.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.83 ₼81.3

$45.09 COP 143.0K

6.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 ₼28.32

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-3.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ₼9.76

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-17.65%

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

$334 ₼568

$790 COP 2.5M

-57.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,829 ₼11.6K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-24.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₼112

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-25.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₼93.7

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₼211

$139 COP 440.7K

-10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 ₼195

$98.9 COP 313.5K

15.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 ₼930

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-46.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ₼511

$620 COP 2.0M

-51.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 ₼1,655

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₼830

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-51.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,177 ₼3,699

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-45.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,315 ₼2,235

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-22.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 ₼932

$663 COP 2.1M

-17.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

10.94

-13.53%

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

Last update for Baku: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baku

$301 30.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 106% $319

Groceries & Markets

Baku

$194 19.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 53.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Baku

$162 16.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 6.8% $11

Eating Out

Baku

$159 16%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 7.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baku

$94 9.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 123% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Baku

$59 6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Baku

$27 2.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 248% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $547 in Baku and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 21% 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: $39.00 in Baku vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $298 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇿 Baku

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

05:54 5:54 AM

9 h behind Baku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,300,500 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AZN – Azerbaijani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇿 Azerbaijani Manat (₼)

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to AZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baku Medellin 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Baku
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

Baku vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baku and Medellin differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,625 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Medellin. 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: $547 in Baku versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $334 in Baku versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Baku versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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, Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.