Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birjand and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $557 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
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Birjand Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$557

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Birjand vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Birjand $557
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $878 per month in Birjand vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Birjand $878
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,198 per month in Birjand vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Birjand $1,198
Medellin $3,190

Birjand is about 65% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Birjand sits 59% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 $3.40

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-57.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.37 $19.37

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-58.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.85 $3.85

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-59.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$3.11 COP 9,866

-64.95%

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

$0.44 $0.44

$1.83 COP 5,800

-75.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.38 COP 4,360

-18.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.45 COP 4,600

-57.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.36 COP 7,496

-79.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.68 COP 5,328

18.45%

Eggs

$1.17 $1.17

$2.86 COP 9,077

-59.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-51.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-66.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 $9.08

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-35.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-73.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.50 COP 4,742

18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.17 COP 6,891

-64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 $0.60

$2.31 COP 7,310

-74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.93 COP 6,113

-73.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.64 COP 5,196

-66.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.13 COP 3,571

-56.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 $0.21

$1.25 COP 3,954

-83.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-41.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$1.21 COP 3,827

-86.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 $10.67

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-86.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.32 COP 4,179

-71.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.14 COP 6,774

-86.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 $2.24

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.30 COP 4,114

-93.85%

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

$48.0K $48.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

71.36%

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

$47.9K $47.9K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

35.36%

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

$13.94 $13.94

$172 COP 545.6K

-91.90%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-89.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.50 $3.50

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-87.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.45 $19.45

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-57.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.79 $13.79

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-19.07%

Cinema Ticket

$2.08 $2.08

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-66.88%

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

$119 $119

$770 COP 2.4M

-84.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,693 $2,693

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-70.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.19 $23.19

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-73.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.44 $29.44

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-48.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 $98.0

$137 COP 432.9K

-28.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 $68.1

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-30.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 $258

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-75.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 $234

$616 COP 2.0M

-61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 $726

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-61.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 $387

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-62.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,006 $1,006

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-75.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$526 $526

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-68.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 Birjand: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birjand

$234 42.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 163% $381

Groceries & Markets

Birjand

$111 19.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 166% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Birjand

$98 17.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 72.8% $72

Eating Out

Birjand

$58 10.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 190% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Birjand

$24 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 145% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birjand

$19 3.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 1033% $195

Getting Around

Birjand

$13 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 609% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $258 in Birjand versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Birjand versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $111 vs $295 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Birjand

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

19:14 7:14 PM

8 h 30 min behind Birjand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,636

2,486,723

💱 Currency

USD USD

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,570 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birjand Medellin 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Birjand
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

Birjand vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $557 in Birjand, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $836 per month in Birjand and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birjand, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 166% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Birjand and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birjand, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Birjand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $557 in Birjand to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Birjand. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.