Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,962 in Iskele versus $1,018 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,018 in Iskele versus $1,609 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,073 in Iskele versus $2,200 in Medellin.

Living in Iskele is roughly 93% more expensive than in Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iskele is 47% above, Medellin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.46 €15.35

$5.93 COP 19.1K

194.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 €62.3

$33.12 COP 106.6K

113.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 €7.42

$7.12 COP 22.9K

18.54%

Cappuccino

$3.63 €3.19

$1.71 COP 5,487

112.28%

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

$2.22 €1.95

$1.05 COP 3,374

111.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$0.72 COP 2,324

80.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 €3.17

$1.72 COP 5,531

109.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.85

$3.17 COP 10.2K

38.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.48

$1.06 COP 3,426

58.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.50

$1.31 COP 4,215

29.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 €2.13

$1.33 COP 4,279

81.95%

Eggs

$4.65 €4.09

$2.28 COP 7,338

103.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.93 €14.89

$4.42 COP 14.2K

283.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €8.25

$5.92 COP 19.0K

58.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 €12.92

$8.64 COP 27.8K

70.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.40

$2.34 COP 7,545

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.59

$1.10 COP 3,546

64.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.08

$1.47 COP 4,724

61.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 €3.39

$1.38 COP 4,439

178.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.17

$1.17 COP 3,774

13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €0.99

$1.17 COP 3,765

-3.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.90 COP 2,905

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.84 COP 2,708

3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 €5.04

$2.33 COP 7,490

145.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 €8.22

$11.92 COP 38.3K

-21.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.15 COP 3,693

63.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.06

$2.42 COP 7,791

-3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.08

$0.84 COP 2,702

182.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 €46.04

$40.83 COP 131.4K

28.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 €7.54

$1.41 COP 4,541

508.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.69

$1.91 COP 6,160

1.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.06 €18.51

$7.83 COP 25.2K

168.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.44

$0.94 COP 3,037

73.40%

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

$26.1K €22.9K

$17.8K COP 57.3M

46.25%

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

$36.4K €32.0K

$27.1K COP 87.1M

34.29%

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

$187 €165

$83.3 COP 267.9K

125.02%

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

$24.09 €21.18

$9.66 COP 31.1K

149.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.59 €35.68

$24.22 COP 77.9K

67.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 €62.6

$25.22 COP 81.2K

182.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.92 €26.30

$19.33 COP 62.2K

54.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.44 €10.06

$4.07 COP 13.1K

181.08%

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

$451 €396

$307 COP 986.5K

47.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,772 €6,833

$5,981 COP 19.2M

29.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €78.7

$60.0 COP 192.9K

49.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €49.34

$32.65 COP 105.1K

71.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €98.1

$101 COP 325.2K

10.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.0

$108 COP 347.6K

-0.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €985

$476 COP 1.5M

135.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 €708

$379 COP 1.2M

112.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 €1,611

$816 COP 2.6M

124.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 €1,222

$707 COP 2.3M

96.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,064 €2,694

$3,190 COP 10.3M

-3.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 €2,003

$1,446 COP 4.7M

57.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 €828

$622 COP 2.0M

51.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.34

13.43

-67.68%

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

Last update for Iskele: July 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,121 in Iskele and $476 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 52% 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: $71.0 in Iskele vs $33.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $192 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

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

Iskele vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Iskele. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Iskele, 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: $1,121 in Iskele versus $476 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $451 in Iskele versus $307 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,018 in Medellin versus $1,962 in Iskele, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Iskele. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Iskele. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.