Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abakan: $961 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Abakan
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Abakan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Abakan

🇷🇺 Russia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Abakan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Abakan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $961 in Abakan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Abakan $961

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,491 in Abakan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Abakan $1,491

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,022 in Abakan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Abakan $2,022

Medellin costs about 71% more than Abakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Abakan is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$11.59 ₽934

-30.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$34.29 ₽2,762

37.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.61 ₽532

43.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.08 ₽248

-2.27%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.15 ₽92.2

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.49 ₽39.30

187.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.78 ₽143

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.01 ₽243

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.33 ₽107

13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.84 ₽67.8

183.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.03 ₽163

-12.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.88 ₽151

53.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.97 ₽1,045

-21.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.11 ₽492

61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.83 ₽953

18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.15 ₽173

84.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.92 ₽155

-19.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.22 ₽179

-1.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.31 ₽266

-34.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.60 ₽48.55

226.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.60 ₽48.18

165.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.25 ₽100

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.77 ₽61.8

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.69 ₽217

47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.05 ₽648

69.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.95 ₽76.9

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.52 ₽123

48.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.45 ₽36.27

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$30.98 ₽2,495

149.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.42 ₽195

-47.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.38 ₽30.57

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.82 ₽469

46.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.95 ₽76.9

42.11%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$46.0K ₽3.7M

-25.88%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$44.5K ₽3.6M

-22.13%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$81.7 ₽6,577

107.73%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$6.55 ₽527

106.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$9.55 ₽769

193.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.30 ₽3,004

17.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.83 ₽1,758

-21.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.47 ₽521

6.80%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$349 ₽28.1K

128.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,938 ₽478.2K

53.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$43.54 ₽3,506

94.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$54.5 ₽4,388

6.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$108 ₽8,664

25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$80.2 ₽6,456

22.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$359 ₽28.9K

236.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$245 ₽19.7K

162.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$547 ₽44.0K

270.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$373 ₽30.0K

171.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,357 ₽189.8K

76.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,721 ₽138.6K

10.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$627 ₽50.5K

4.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.45

-49.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abakan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Abakan

$245 25.5% 61.8% $397

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Abakan

$231 24.1% 22.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Abakan

$98 10.2% 53.7% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Abakan

$171 17.8% 0.8% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Abakan

$129 13.4% 23.9% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Abakan

$37 3.9% 60.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Abakan

$50 5.2% 12.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $359 in Abakan. 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 5% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $34 in Abakan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $231 – making Abakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Abakan

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

187,239

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Abakan 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Abakan

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

Medellin vs Abakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,441 in Abakan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abakan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $359 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $961 in Abakan. That makes Abakan about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Abakan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Abakan – 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 Abakan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.