Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Medellin $3,186

Istanbul is about 8% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Medellin sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺579

$8.09 COP 26.1K

43.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,730

$47.05 COP 151.7K

16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺469

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-1.16%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.01 COP 9,722

40.53%

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

$1.72 ₺85.8

$1.80 COP 5,801

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.31

$1.41 COP 4,554

-59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$3.18 COP 10.2K

46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$5.75 COP 18.5K

18.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.1

$1.51 COP 4,869

-20.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺47.06

$2.38 COP 7,667

-60.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.77 COP 5,712

26.55%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.89 COP 9,320

-16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺511

$10.19 COP 32.9K

0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-45.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,058

$13.99 COP 45.1K

51.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.4

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-52.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.55 COP 5,005

43.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.8

$2.18 COP 7,039

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.2

$2.18 COP 7,041

-16.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.91

$1.96 COP 6,328

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.19

$1.59 COP 5,125

-59.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.15 COP 3,694

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.41

$1.24 COP 4,009

-55.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-41.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺665

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.66 COP 5,352

40.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺173

$2.26 COP 7,281

53.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.27

$1.17 COP 3,766

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,312

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-14.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.3

$1.27 COP 4,089

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.74

$2.05 COP 6,603

-58.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺554

$8.55 COP 27.6K

29.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$1.35 COP 4,343

5.19%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

44.38%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

23.45%

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

$87.7 ₺4,381

$170 COP 547.0K

-48.28%

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

$11.28 ₺563

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-16.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺793

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-43.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,790

$43.70 COP 140.9K

73.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,150

$17.19 COP 55.4K

34.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺410

$6.91 COP 22.3K

18.67%

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

$1,028 ₺51.3K

$797 COP 2.6M

29.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

184.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,663

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-37.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,982

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-31.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,982

$135 COP 435.2K

-26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,670

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.1K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.4K

$642 COP 2.1M

-2.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺98.0K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-3.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺56.0K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

10.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.5K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-26.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.5K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-8.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.9K

$657 COP 2.1M

79.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

10.94

271.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 2.1% $13

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 15% $39

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 22.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 31.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 83.9% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 37.7% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 23.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul 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 80% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55 in Istanbul versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $297 in Medellin – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

08:54 8:54 AM

8 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Medellin 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,003 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,516 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.