Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,212 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Izmir, Turkey
Medellin, Colombia
Izmir
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,212
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Izmir versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Izmir $1,212
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Izmir versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Izmir $1,898
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Izmir versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Izmir $2,584
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Izmir costs roughly 26% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Izmir is 11% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.89 ₺493
$8.09 COP 25.4K
22.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.55 ₺1,771
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-24.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.41 ₺419
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-11.47%
Cappuccino
$3.64 ₺181
$3.01 COP 9,485
20.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 ₺72.7
$1.80 COP 5,660
-18.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.85
$1.41 COP 4,443
-58.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 ₺172
$3.18 COP 9,990
8.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.00 ₺249
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-13.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 ₺53.9
$1.51 COP 4,751
-28.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 ₺52.5
$2.38 COP 7,480
-55.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.38 ₺118
$1.77 COP 5,573
34.46%
Eggs
$2.46 ₺123
$2.89 COP 9,093
-14.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₺464
$10.19 COP 32.1K
-8.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.10 ₺254
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-48.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.03 ₺1,048
$13.99 COP 44.0K
50.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.95 ₺97.4
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-50.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ₺108
$1.55 COP 4,883
40.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.06 ₺52.7
$2.18 COP 6,867
-51.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 ₺67.9
$2.18 COP 6,870
-37.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.54
$1.96 COP 6,174
-69.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₺20.07
$1.59 COP 5,000
-74.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₺54.6
$1.15 COP 3,604
-5.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 ₺36.50
$1.24 COP 3,911
-41.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 ₺111
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-43.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₺556
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-18.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 ₺103
$1.66 COP 5,222
24.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 ₺149
$2.26 COP 7,104
32.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 ₺34.05
$1.17 COP 3,674
-41.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.12 ₺2,148
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-44.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 ₺175
$1.27 COP 3,989
177.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ₺50.9
$2.05 COP 6,442
-50.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.52 ₺275
$8.55 COP 26.9K
-35.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 ₺67.2
$1.35 COP 4,237
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$46.6K ₺2.3M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
36.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.7K ₺2.2M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
26.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.4 ₺4,103
$170 COP 533.7K
-51.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.53 ₺525
$13.55 COP 42.6K
-22.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.87 ₺791
$28.07 COP 88.3K
-43.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₺3,196
$43.70 COP 137.5K
46.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.55 ₺1,721
$17.19 COP 54.1K
100.99%
Cinema Ticket
$8.25 ₺411
$6.91 COP 21.7K
19.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$683 ₺34.0K
$797 COP 2.5M
-14.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.5K ₺720.0K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
58.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.34 ₺2,259
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-46.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.24 ₺1,855
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-35.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.0 ₺4,582
$135 COP 424.6K
-31.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.8 ₺3,977
$97.9 COP 307.9K
-18.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$587 ₺29.2K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-51.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$424 ₺21.1K
$642 COP 2.0M
-33.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 ₺55.9K
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-44.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$793 ₺39.5K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-21.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,444 ₺71.9K
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-65.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$999 ₺49.8K
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-47.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Izmir
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,134 ₺56.5K
$657 COP 2.1M
72.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
42.33
10.94
286.93%

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

Last update for Izmir: 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
Izmir
$424
Medellin
$642 51.2% $217
Groceries & Markets
Izmir
$245
Medellin
$297 21% $51
Eating Out
Izmir
$183
Medellin
$170 7.5% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Izmir
$114
Medellin
$169 47.6% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izmir
$109
Medellin
$211 94.3% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Izmir
$81
Medellin
$58 28.7% $23
Getting Around
Izmir
$54
Medellin
$94 71.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Izmir and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Izmir pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Izmir vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $297 per month, with Izmir cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Izmir
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
15:11 3:11 PM
07:11 7:11 AM
8 h behind Izmir
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,493,242
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 = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Izmir Medellin 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Izmir
  • 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
Izmir vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Izmir or Medellin?
Izmir wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Izmir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Izmir or in Medellin?
Average pay runs 73% higher in Izmir, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Izmir compared to Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Izmir versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Izmir compared to Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $1,212 per month in Izmir versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Izmir compared to Medellin?
A monthly transit pass in Izmir runs roughly 44% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Izmir or in Medellin?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Izmir is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Izmir or Medellin?
Both work as nomad bases, but Izmir delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,212 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Izmir hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Izmir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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