Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
Learn more

Arak Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $480 in Arak.

Medellin $1,639
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $755 in Arak.

Medellin $2,413
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,030 in Arak.

Medellin $3,186
Arak $1,030

Living in Medellin is roughly 242% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Arak is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.55 $3.55

127.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$12.88 $12.88

265.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.09 $4.09

132.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.33 $1.33

126.32%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.51 $0.51

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.66 $1.66

-15.06%

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

$0.54 $0.54

179.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.58 $0.58

310.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.96 $1.96

-9.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.28 $1.28

125.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$2.14 $2.14

376.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.53 $2.53

290.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$10.31 $10.31

35.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.77 $0.77

415.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.94 $0.94

64.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.63 $0.63

246.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.48 $0.48

354.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.42 $0.42

366.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.44 $0.44

261.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.48 $0.48

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.28 $0.28

342.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.52 $2.52

57.14%

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

$0.10 $0.10

1070.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$9.70 $9.70

697.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.25 $0.25

408.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.12 $0.12

1608.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.02 $1.02

738.24%

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

$50.3K $50.3K

-32.34%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.0K $35.0K

-0.80%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$10.03 $10.03

1591.43%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$1.43 $1.43

847.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$4.01 $4.01

600.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$9.93 $9.93

340.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$24.64 $24.64

-30.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.11 $1.11

522.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$83.3 $83.3

856.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,372 $2,372

284.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$13.59 $13.59

523.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$8.51 $8.51

581.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$81.9 $81.9

64.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$52.1 $52.1

87.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$294 $294

310.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$210 $210

206.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$781 $781

159.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$357 $357

183.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,369 $1,369

204.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$647 $647

195.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$375 $375

75.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.5

-40.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Arak

$210 43.7% 67.3% $432

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Arak

$96 20% 67.7% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Arak

$15 3.2% 92.7% $196

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Arak

$65 13.6% 61.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Arak

$70 14.6% 58.5% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Arak

$11 2.3% 88.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Arak

$12 2.5% 78.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $294 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 75% 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: $47 in Medellin vs $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $96 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

526,200

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Arak 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arak

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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 71% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $294 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 87% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Arak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.