Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnaul and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnaul: $999 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Barnaul
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Barnaul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Barnaul

🇷🇺 Russia

$999

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $999 in Barnaul versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Barnaul $999
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,517 in Barnaul versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Barnaul $1,517
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,035 in Barnaul versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Barnaul $2,035
Medellin $3,190

Living in Barnaul costs roughly 38% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.39 ₽951

$7.93 COP 25.2K

43.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 ₽3,267

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-15.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ₽503

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-36.63%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₽219

$3.11 COP 9,866

-15.43%

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

$0.69 ₽57.4

$1.83 COP 5,800

-62.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₽46.87

$1.38 COP 4,360

-59.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₽97.3

$3.05 COP 9,672

-61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₽118

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-74.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 ₽86.9

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₽47.68

$2.36 COP 7,496

-75.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ₽114

$1.68 COP 5,328

-19.05%

Eggs

$1.47 ₽123

$2.86 COP 9,077

-48.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 ₽979

$10.19 COP 32.3K

15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 ₽380

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-52.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 ₽989

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₽155

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-54.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽149

$1.50 COP 4,742

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ₽161

$2.17 COP 6,891

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ₽181

$2.31 COP 7,310

-6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₽67.2

$1.93 COP 6,113

-58.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ₽38.71

$1.64 COP 5,196

-71.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 ₽125

$1.13 COP 3,571

32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₽36.22

$1.25 COP 3,954

-65.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₽252

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-24.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ₽800

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽76.6

$1.70 COP 5,384

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₽116

$2.37 COP 7,525

-41.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽46.71

$1.21 COP 3,827

-53.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.42 ₽2,121

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-66.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 ₽129

$1.32 COP 4,179

17.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 ₽41.80

$2.14 COP 6,774

-76.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 ₽491

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-30.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₽67.0

$1.30 COP 4,114

-38.46%

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

$24.3K ₽2.0M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-13.35%

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

$33.3K ₽2.8M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-5.92%

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

$109 ₽9,104

$172 COP 545.6K

-36.61%

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

$6.13 ₽511

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-54.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₽667

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-72.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 ₽1,472

$17.04 COP 54.0K

3.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₽410

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-21.82%

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

$351 ₽29.3K

$770 COP 2.4M

-54.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ₽1.2M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

60.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 ₽5,334

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-26.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 ₽3,688

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-22.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₽9,422

$137 COP 432.9K

-17.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 ₽8,243

$97.9 COP 310.4K

0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 ₽37.1K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-57.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 ₽28.0K

$616 COP 2.0M

-45.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 ₽55.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₽42.1K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-50.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 ₽167.3K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-50.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 ₽141.6K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

1.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₽55.4K

$652 COP 2.1M

1.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

10.94

108.68%

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

Last update for Barnaul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnaul

$335 33.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 83.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Barnaul

$201 20.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 46.9% $94

Eating Out

Barnaul

$154 15.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 9.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Barnaul

$144 14.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 18.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnaul

$123 12.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 73.8% $91

Getting Around

Barnaul

$32 3.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 194% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Barnaul

$9.8 * 1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 489% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $444 in Barnaul and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnaul pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Barnaul vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $295 per month, with Barnaul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Barnaul

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

12 h behind Barnaul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,124

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barnaul Medellin 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnaul
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barnaul vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnaul wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barnaul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Barnaul, 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: $444 in Barnaul versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $999 per month in Barnaul versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barnaul runs roughly 201% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $999 in Barnaul versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Barnaul but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Barnaul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barnaul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $999 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barnaul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Barnaul 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 Barnaul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.