Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $488 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$488

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kathmandu versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Kathmandu $488
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $783 in Kathmandu versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Kathmandu $783
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,077 in Kathmandu versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Kathmandu $1,077
Medellin $3,186

Living in Kathmandu costs roughly 70% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kathmandu is 64% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.92 NPR 291

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-76.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.72 NPR 3,146

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-55.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.02 NPR 1,065

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-26.11%

Cappuccino

$1.56 NPR 236

$3.01 COP 9,735

-48.17%

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

$0.51 NPR 78.2

$1.80 COP 5,809

-71.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 NPR 20.87

$1.41 COP 4,561

-90.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 NPR 472

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NPR 504

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-42.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 NPR 117

$1.51 COP 4,876

-49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 93.9

$2.38 COP 7,678

-73.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 NPR 139

$1.77 COP 5,720

-48.02%

Eggs

$1.74 NPR 264

$2.89 COP 9,333

-39.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,141

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-26.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 NPR 471

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-68.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.99 NPR 909

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-57.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 NPR 316

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-47.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 181

$1.55 COP 5,012

-23.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 NPR 219

$2.18 COP 7,048

-33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 NPR 89.3

$2.18 COP 7,051

-72.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 58.8

$1.96 COP 6,337

-80.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 81.8

$1.59 COP 5,132

-66.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 74.9

$1.15 COP 3,699

-57.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.20

$1.24 COP 4,014

-82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 NPR 373

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-37.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 NPR 1,209

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-41.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 NPR 349

$1.66 COP 5,359

38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 NPR 458

$2.26 COP 7,291

33.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 NPR 26.26

$1.17 COP 3,771

-85.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.75 NPR 1,481

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-87.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 NPR 272

$1.27 COP 4,094

40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 NPR 176

$2.05 COP 6,612

-43.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 505

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-61.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 NPR 210

$1.35 COP 4,349

2.96%

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

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

4.81%

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

$35.9K NPR 5.4M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

3.48%

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

$31.31 NPR 4,753

$170 COP 547.8K

-81.54%

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

$3.58 NPR 544

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-73.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.30 NPR 1,411

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-66.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.50 NPR 3,720

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-43.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 NPR 1,059

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-59.45%

Cinema Ticket

$2.94 NPR 446

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-57.45%

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

$66.9 NPR 10.1K

$797 COP 2.6M

-91.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,521 NPR 838.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-39.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 NPR 3,621

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-71.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.77 NPR 4,064

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-53.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 NPR 9,510

$135 COP 435.8K

-53.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.36 NPR 4,458

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-70.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NPR 32.9K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-82.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.8K

$642 COP 2.1M

-83.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 NPR 65.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-78.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NPR 30.4K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-80.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,336 NPR 354.6K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-43.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,330 NPR 201.9K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-30.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 NPR 40.6K

$657 COP 2.1M

-59.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

10.94

-8.78%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$147 30.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 102% $150

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 515% $537

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$80 16.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 113% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 163% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 378% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$30 6.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 89.4% $27

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 419% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Kathmandu and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.5 times 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: $21 in Kathmandu vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $297 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

03:31 3:31 AM

10 h 45 min behind Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 169 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kathmandu Medellin 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Kathmandu
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

Kathmandu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Kathmandu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $217 in Kathmandu versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $21 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $488 per month in Kathmandu versus $1,639 in Medellin – Kathmandu is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $488 in Kathmandu versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.