Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chandigarh and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chandigarh: $488 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Chandigarh versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Chandigarh $488
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $788 in Chandigarh versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Chandigarh $788
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,088 in Chandigarh versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Chandigarh $1,088
Medellin $3,186

Living in Chandigarh costs roughly 70% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chandigarh is 64% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 ₹1,299

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-70.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.11 ₹390

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-56.74%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ₹256

$3.01 COP 9,722

-10.63%

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

$0.44 ₹41.50

$1.80 COP 5,801

-75.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.78

$1.41 COP 4,554

-82.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₹204

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-44.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹69.4

$1.51 COP 4,869

-51.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.17

$2.38 COP 7,667

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$1.77 COP 5,712

-54.24%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.3

$2.89 COP 9,320

-68.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₹468

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-51.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-71.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ₹156

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.9

$1.55 COP 5,005

-51.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$2.18 COP 7,039

-51.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$2.18 COP 7,041

-69.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.54

$1.96 COP 6,328

-85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.38

$1.59 COP 5,125

-78.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.4

$1.15 COP 3,694

-41.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$1.24 COP 4,009

-75.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 ₹472

$3.96 COP 12.8K

25.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,086

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-16.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.66 COP 5,352

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹266

$2.26 COP 7,281

24.34%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.55 ₹622

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.60

$1.17 COP 3,766

-78.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.58 ₹435

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-94.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.27 COP 4,089

-14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.90

$2.05 COP 6,603

-87.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 ₹158

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-80.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.35 COP 4,343

-19.26%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-67.10%

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

$25.0K ₹2.4M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-27.93%

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

$38.21 ₹3,628

$170 COP 547.0K

-77.48%

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

$4.08 ₹388

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-69.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.52 ₹619

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-76.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.72 ₹2,443

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-41.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.08 ₹767

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-53.00%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 ₹298

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-54.70%

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

$57.7 ₹5,480

$797 COP 2.6M

-92.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 ₹235.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-72.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.87 ₹2,551

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-68.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ₹2,398

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-56.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 ₹5,469

$135 COP 435.2K

-57.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.40 ₹4,216

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-54.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₹16.3K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-85.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$642 COP 2.1M

-80.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-76.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.3K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-69.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 ₹177.4K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-55.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ₹97.4K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-46.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₹41.5K

$657 COP 2.1M

-33.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-26.87%

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

Last update for Chandigarh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chandigarh

$127 26%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 405% $514

Groceries & Markets

Chandigarh

$113 23.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 162% $184

Eating Out

Chandigarh

$90 18.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 88.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Chandigarh

$69 14.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 144% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chandigarh

$49 10%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 333% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Chandigarh

$32 6.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 79.8% $26

Getting Around

Chandigarh

$7.9 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1083% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $171 in Chandigarh and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 50% 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: $14 in Chandigarh vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $297 per month, with Chandigarh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

03:48 3:48 AM

10 h 30 min behind Chandigarh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,667

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chandigarh Medellin 14,960 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chandigarh
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

Chandigarh vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chandigarh wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chandigarh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Chandigarh. 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: $171 in Chandigarh versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chandigarh runs roughly 94% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $58 in Chandigarh versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $488 in Chandigarh versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Chandigarh but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chandigarh 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 Chandigarh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.