Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abaza

For one person, living is cheaper in Abaza: $1,027 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Abaza
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Abaza Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Abaza

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Abaza

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 Abaza actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,027 in Abaza.

Medellin $1,625
Abaza $1,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,668 in Abaza.

Medellin $2,412
Abaza $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,310 in Abaza.

Medellin $3,199
Abaza $2,310

Living in Medellin is roughly 58% more expensive than in Abaza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Abaza is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$12.79 ₽1,067

-35.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$35.27 ₽2,944

33.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.86 ₽489

57.68%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.03 ₽253

0.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.25 ₽104

44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.61 ₽51.0

126.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.54 ₽129

110.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.69 ₽224

106.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.03 ₽85.8

45.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.67 ₽56.0

253.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.25 ₽105

36.00%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.51 ₽126

96.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.05 ₽1,089

-21.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.72 ₽478

70.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$12.92 ₽1,078

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.95 ₽163

111.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.89 ₽158

-19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.05 ₽171

8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.68 ₽223

-15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.91 ₽75.6

118.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.66 ₽54.7

153.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.40 ₽117

-15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.74 ₽62.0

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.63 ₽220

47.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.74 ₽563

104.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.07 ₽89.1

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.30 ₽192

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.58 ₽48.22

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.48 ₽207

-48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.33 ₽27.80

551.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$5.89 ₽491

42.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.89 ₽74.7

51.69%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$46.4K ₽3.9M

-25.01%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-13.49%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$112 ₽9,388

48.15%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.92 ₽578

96.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$7.25 ₽605

301.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$31.69 ₽2,645

42.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$23.28 ₽1,943

-26.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.03 ₽503

15.59%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$359 ₽29.9K

120.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$5,380 ₽449.0K

68.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$89.2 ₽7,442

-1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$59.1 ₽4,932

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$136 ₽11.3K

2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$97.2 ₽8,110

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$541 ₽45.1K

90.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$282 ₽23.6K

119.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$896 ₽74.8K

109.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$616 ₽51.4K

63.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,494 ₽208.1K

59.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,431 ₽119.4K

18.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 19, 2026

Last update for Abaza: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Abaza

$282 27.5% 54.4% $337

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Abaza

$219 21.4% 26.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Abaza

$127 12.3% 39.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Abaza

$172 16.7% 0.7% $1.1

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Abaza

$177 17.2% 3.5% $6

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Abaza

$6.5 * 0.6% 93.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Abaza

$44 4.3% 25.9% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $541 in Abaza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $35.00 in Abaza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $219 per month, with Abaza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Abaza

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,816

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Abaza 13,330 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Abaza

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 Abaza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abaza is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,437 in Medellin and $1,540 in Abaza to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $541 in Abaza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $359 in Abaza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Abaza – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,027 in Abaza versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abaza but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Abaza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abaza 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 Abaza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.