Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskenderun and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $941 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Iskenderun, Turkey
Medellin, Colombia
Iskenderun
🇹🇷 Turkey
$941
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Iskenderun vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Iskenderun $941
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,484 per month in Iskenderun vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Iskenderun $1,484
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,027 per month in Iskenderun vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Iskenderun $2,027
  • Medellin $3,186

Iskenderun is about 43% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iskenderun sits 31% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.94 ₺296
$8.09 COP 25.4K
-26.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.11 ₺1,500
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-36.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.13 ₺306
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-35.47%
Cappuccino
$3.16 ₺158
$3.01 COP 9,485
4.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ₺55.7
$1.80 COP 5,660
-37.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ₺13.46
$1.41 COP 4,443
-80.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 ₺123
$3.18 COP 9,990
-22.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ₺138
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-51.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 ₺51.2
$1.51 COP 4,751
-31.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₺37.23
$2.38 COP 7,480
-68.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 ₺84.5
$1.77 COP 5,573
-3.95%
Eggs
$1.85 ₺92.0
$2.89 COP 9,093
-35.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.03 ₺350
$10.19 COP 32.1K
-31.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.10 ₺204
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-58.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.99 ₺897
$13.99 COP 44.0K
28.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.65 ₺82.3
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-58.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 ₺90.6
$1.55 COP 4,883
17.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.92 ₺45.96
$2.18 COP 6,867
-57.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 ₺53.1
$2.18 COP 6,870
-51.38%
Potato (1kg)
$0.50 ₺24.85
$1.96 COP 6,174
-74.49%
Onion (1kg)
$0.38 ₺18.78
$1.59 COP 5,000
-76.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 ₺46.18
$1.15 COP 3,604
-19.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₺30.23
$1.24 COP 3,911
-50.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.13 ₺106
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-46.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.01 ₺499
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-26.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.66 COP 5,221
38.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 ₺164
$2.26 COP 7,103
45.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 ₺39.73
$1.17 COP 3,674
-31.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 ₺51.0
$1.27 COP 3,989
-19.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 ₺25.45
$2.05 COP 6,442
-75.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.08 ₺502
$8.55 COP 26.9K
17.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 ₺64.5
$1.35 COP 4,237
-4.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.7K ₺2.1M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
25.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.9K ₺1.9M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
9.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.1 ₺4,589
$170 COP 533.7K
-45.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.28 ₺463
$13.55 COP 42.6K
-31.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.95 ₺546
$28.07 COP 88.3K
-60.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.70 ₺2,328
$43.70 COP 137.5K
6.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.08 ₺303
$6.91 COP 21.7K
-12.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$446 ₺22.2K
$797 COP 2.5M
-44.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,164 ₺357.0K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-21.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.5 ₺2,718
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-35.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.84 ₺1,437
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-50.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ₺5,644
$135 COP 424.6K
-16.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₺5,394
$97.9 COP 307.9K
10.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$402 ₺20.0K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-66.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 ₺14.5K
$642 COP 2.0M
-54.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$755 ₺37.6K
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-62.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$590 ₺29.4K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-41.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,214 ₺60.5K
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-70.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$892 ₺44.4K
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-53.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iskenderun
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,115 ₺55.6K
$657 COP 2.1M
69.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
35
10.94
219.93%

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

Last update for Iskenderun: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iskenderun
$292
Medellin
$642 120% $350
Groceries & Markets
Iskenderun
$207
Medellin
$297 43.5% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Iskenderun
$137
Medellin
$169 23.2% $32
Eating Out
Iskenderun
$127
Medellin
$170 33.2% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iskenderun
$112
Medellin
$211 88.1% $99
Sport & Entertainment
Iskenderun
$59
Medellin
$58 2.3% $1.3
Getting Around
Iskenderun
$6.8 *
Medellin
$94 1282% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Iskenderun versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 70% higher in Iskenderun, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Iskenderun versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $297 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Iskenderun
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
13:48 1:48 PM
8 h behind Iskenderun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
246,639
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iskenderun Medellin 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Iskenderun
  • 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
Iskenderun vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iskenderun cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,412 per month in Iskenderun and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
What are total monthly expenses in Iskenderun and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $941 in Iskenderun and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 74%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Iskenderun and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is Iskenderun or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Iskenderun vs other spots: cost of living compared

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