Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaganda and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$926

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $926 per month in Karaganda vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Karaganda $926
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Karaganda vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Karaganda $1,492
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Karaganda vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Karaganda $2,058
Medellin $3,190

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.85 ₸4,452

$7.93 COP 25.2K

24.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.09 ₸15.9K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-23.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ₸2,453

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-42.84%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ₸869

$3.11 COP 9,866

-38.26%

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

$0.91 ₸413

$1.83 COP 5,800

-50.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₸290

$1.38 COP 4,360

-53.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 ₸617

$3.05 COP 9,672

-55.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₸1,267

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-49.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 ₸605

$1.45 COP 4,600

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₸222

$2.36 COP 7,496

-79.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 ₸597

$1.68 COP 5,328

-21.43%

Eggs

$1.79 ₸808

$2.86 COP 9,077

-37.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 ₸5,929

$10.19 COP 32.3K

28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ₸2,442

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-43.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ₸5,060

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ₸673

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₸856

$1.50 COP 4,742

26.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.17 COP 6,891

32.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 ₸979

$2.31 COP 7,310

-6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₸301

$1.93 COP 6,113

-65.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₸267

$1.64 COP 5,196

-64.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₸467

$1.13 COP 3,571

-8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₸310

$1.25 COP 3,954

-44.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₸1,016

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 ₸3,813

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-36.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.70 COP 5,384

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₸957

$2.37 COP 7,525

-10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₸94.9

$1.21 COP 3,827

-82.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.75 ₸7,119

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-79.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 ₸568

$1.32 COP 4,179

-4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ₸541

$2.14 COP 6,774

-43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 ₸1,496

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-60.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 ₸254

$1.30 COP 4,114

-56.92%

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

$22.0K ₸10.0M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-21.22%

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

$31.9K ₸14.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-9.79%

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

$72.2 ₸32.7K

$172 COP 545.6K

-58.02%

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

$10.01 ₸4,523

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-25.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.86 ₸5,360

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-58.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.00 ₸20.8K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.82 ₸8,505

$17.04 COP 54.0K

10.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₸2,416

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-14.97%

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

$135 ₸60.8K

$770 COP 2.4M

-82.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₸26.6K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 ₸26.1K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ₸35.8K

$137 COP 432.9K

-42.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 ₸38.7K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-12.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₸178.2K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-62.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₸123.2K

$616 COP 2.0M

-55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ₸333.5K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-61.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₸242.3K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-47.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,053 ₸476.1K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-74.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$711 ₸321.5K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-57.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$569 ₸257.3K

$652 COP 2.1M

-12.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

10.94

75.96%

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

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaganda

$273 29.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 126% $343

Groceries & Markets

Karaganda

$215 23.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 36.9% $79

Eating Out

Karaganda

$137 14.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 23.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Karaganda

$127 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 34.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaganda

$94 10.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 128% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Karaganda

$57 6.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 2% $1.1

Getting Around

Karaganda

$24 2.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 292% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Karaganda versus $1,055 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 15% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Karaganda versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $295 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

02:39 2:39 AM

11 h behind Karaganda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,486

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karaganda Medellin 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Karaganda
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

Karaganda vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $926 in Karaganda, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,389 per month in Karaganda and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 386% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Karaganda and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $926 in Karaganda to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.