Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ahvaz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahvaz: $576 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Ahvaz
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Ahvaz Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ahvaz

🇮🇷 Iran

$576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ahvaz

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $576 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ahvaz $576

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $876 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ahvaz $876

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,176 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ahvaz $1,176

Medellin costs about 184% more than Ahvaz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ahvaz is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.97 $1.97

310.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$12.14 $12.14

287.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.83 $3.83

148.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 $0.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.19 $1.19

152.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.48 $0.48

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.95 $0.95

48.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.88 $0.88

71.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.57 $0.57

317.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.81 $1.81

-2.21%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.25 $1.25

131.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.15 $4.15

145.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.79 $3.79

160.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.30 $9.30

50.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.86 $0.86

361.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.40 $1.40

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.78 $0.78

179.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.54 $0.54

303.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.60 $0.60

226.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.54 $0.54

194.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.44 $0.44

161.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.31 $0.31

300.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.03 $1.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.21 $2.21

79.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.15 $0.15

680.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$9.71 $9.71

696.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.48 $0.48

164.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.52 $0.52

294.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.93 $2.93

191.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.10 $0.10

1250.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$117.4K $117.4K

-70.99%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$62.6K $62.6K

-44.58%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$14.03 $14.03

1109.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$1.55 $1.55

774.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$7.04 $7.04

298.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$18.14 $18.14

140.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$5.93 $5.93

189.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.19 $1.19

480.67%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$104 $104

663.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$636 $636

1331.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$53.4 $53.4

58.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$47.31 $47.31

22.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$94.9 $94.9

42.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$103 $103

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$312 $312

286.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$225 $225

185.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$512 $512

296.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$349 $349

190.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,274 $1,274

227.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$742 $742

157.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$541 $541

21.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

23.67

-53.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ahvaz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ahvaz

$225 39% 64.9% $416

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ahvaz

$113 19.6% 61.9% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ahvaz

$23 3.9% 89.3% $189

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ahvaz

$47 8.2% 72.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ahvaz

$135 23.4% 20.4% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ahvaz

$13 2.3% 85.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ahvaz

$21 3.6% 64.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $312 in Ahvaz. 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 21% 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 $12 in Ahvaz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $113 – making Ahvaz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Ahvaz

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,184,788

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Ahvaz 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ahvaz

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 Ahvaz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 184%, 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 $865 in Ahvaz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahvaz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $312 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $12 in Ahvaz. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $576 in Ahvaz. That makes Ahvaz about 65% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ahvaz, where all-in costs run around $576, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ahvaz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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