Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $292 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$292

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $292 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Mazar-i-Sharif $292
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $461 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Mazar-i-Sharif $461
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $630 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Mazar-i-Sharif $630
Medellin $3,199

Living in Mazar-i-Sharif costs roughly 82% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.38 ؋154

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-71.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 ؋1,003

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-67.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 ؋260

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-56.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 ؋489

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 ؋486

Cappuccino

$1.23 ؋79.8

$3.05 COP 9,676

-59.67%

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

$0.57 ؋36.96

$1.80 COP 5,707

-68.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.28

$1.38 COP 4,382

-78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ؋42.20

$1.50 COP 4,760

-56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.99

$2.37 COP 7,508

-93.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.70 COP 5,377

23.53%

Eggs

$1.65 ؋107

$2.96 COP 9,379

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ؋486

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-26.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ؋214

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-66.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 ؋395

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-56.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.30

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-85.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ؋73.5

$1.53 COP 4,839

-26.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 ؋53.2

$2.22 COP 7,052

-63.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.27

$2.27 COP 7,194

-73.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.46

$1.99 COP 6,311

-76.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ؋24.88

$1.67 COP 5,285

-77.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ؋36.54

$1.18 COP 3,742

-52.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$1.24 COP 3,919

-74.19%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 ؋121

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ؋102

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-59.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ؋52.2

$1.24 COP 3,944

-34.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-81.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ؋99.4

$1.35 COP 4,288

13.33%

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

$9,927 ؋643.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-71.44%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$83.3 ؋5,399

$167 COP 528.4K

-50.03%

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

$16.98 ؋1,101

$13.62 COP 43.2K

24.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.53 ؋747

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-74.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.87 ؋251

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-77.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 ؋304

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-32.86%

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

$76.6 ؋4,967

$790 COP 2.5M

-90.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.93 ؋838

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-85.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.48 ؋1,198

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-81.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$235 ؋15.2K

$663 COP 2.1M

-64.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$105 35.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 185% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$100 * 34.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 109% $109

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$49 16.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 247% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 183% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 1122% $159

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 2856% $92

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 182% 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: $15.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $298 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

9 h 30 min behind Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 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 AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Medellin 13,860 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 456% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 182% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 185% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $292 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 456% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $292 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mazar-i-Sharif is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 456% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.