Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iran and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $478 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $478 per month in Mashhad vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Mashhad $478
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $766 per month in Mashhad vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Mashhad $766
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,055 per month in Mashhad vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Mashhad $1,055
Medellin $3,186

Mashhad is about 71% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mashhad sits 65% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 $2.94

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-63.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.29 $18.29

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-61.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 $4.97

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-47.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

Cappuccino

$1.10 $1.10

$3.01 COP 9,722

-63.46%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$1.80 COP 5,801

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.41 COP 4,554

-81.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.51 COP 4,869

-59.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.21 $0.21

$2.38 COP 7,667

-91.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.77 COP 5,712

9.60%

Eggs

$1.12 $1.12

$2.89 COP 9,320

-61.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-79.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-72.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-76.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.55 COP 5,005

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.18 COP 7,039

-61.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$2.18 COP 7,041

-72.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.96 COP 6,328

-73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 $0.44

$1.59 COP 5,125

-72.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.15 COP 3,694

-54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.24 COP 4,009

-76.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 $0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 $0.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-23.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.02 $0.02

$1.17 COP 3,766

-98.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.58 $3.58

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-95.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.20 $0.20

$1.27 COP 4,089

-84.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 $0.52

$2.05 COP 6,603

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-76.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.35 COP 4,343

-40.00%

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

$59.3K $59.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

74.00%

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

$68.1K $68.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

96.41%

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

$13.66 $13.66

$170 COP 547.0K

-91.95%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-80.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.95 $26.95

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-3.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.25 $19.25

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-55.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 $15.14

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-11.93%

Cinema Ticket

$2.05 $2.05

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-70.33%

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

$41.46 $41.46

$797 COP 2.6M

-94.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$613 $613

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-93.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.34 $20.34

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-75.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 $38.31

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$135 COP 435.2K

-30.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 $69.8

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 $209

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-82.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 $151

$642 COP 2.1M

-76.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 $392

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-80.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 $266

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-73.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 $1,153

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-72.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 $683

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-64.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$250 $250

$657 COP 2.1M

-61.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

10.94

96.53%

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

Last update for Mashhad: 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

Mashhad

$151 31.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 325% $491

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 20.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 197% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$100 20.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 69.5% $69

Eating Out

Mashhad

$54 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 212% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$43 9.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 389% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 146% $34

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.5 1.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1344% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Mashhad 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 in Medellin are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $18 in Mashhad versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $297 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

8 h 30 min behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

2,486,723

💱 Currency

USD USD

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mashhad Medellin 13,370 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mashhad vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 243% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $717 per month in Mashhad 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 Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $478 in Mashhad and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Mashhad about 71% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 95% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $478, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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