Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ardabil

For one person, living is cheaper in Ardabil: $508 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Ardabil
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Ardabil Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ardabil

🇮🇷 Iran

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ardabil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $508 in Ardabil.

Medellin $1,639
Ardabil $508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $807 in Ardabil.

Medellin $2,413
Ardabil $807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,106 in Ardabil.

Medellin $3,186
Ardabil $1,106

Living in Medellin is roughly 223% more expensive than in Ardabil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ardabil is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.89 $2.89

179.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$14.95 $14.95

214.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.92 $3.92

142.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.70 $0.70

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.20 $1.20

150.83%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.51 $0.51

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.03 $1.03

36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.65 $0.65

132.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.49 $0.49

385.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.03 $2.03

-12.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.15 $1.15

151.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.49 $4.49

126.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.32 $3.32

197.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$10.23 $10.23

36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.17 $1.17

239.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.41 $1.41

9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.87 $0.87

150.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.53 $0.53

311.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.50 $0.50

292.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.47 $0.47

238.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.23 $0.23

439.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.85 $0.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 $0.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.25 $2.25

76.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.15 $0.15

680.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$8.58 $8.58

801.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.43 $0.43

195.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.30 $0.30

583.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$2.32 $2.32

268.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.10 $0.10

1250.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$42.9K $42.9K

-20.63%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$40.4K $40.4K

-14.15%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$14.32 $14.32

1084.71%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$1.70 $1.70

697.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$3.40 $3.40

725.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$15.84 $15.84

175.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$14.71 $14.71

16.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$1.98 $1.98

248.99%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$93.6 $93.6

751.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$2,121 $2,121

329.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$21.25 $21.25

298.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$25.29 $25.29

129.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$96.5 $96.5

39.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$65.6 $65.6

49.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$292 $292

314.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$196 $196

227.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$775 $775

161.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$339 $339

198.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,188 $1,188

250.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$506 $506

277.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.3

-54.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ardabil: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ardabil

$196 38.6% 69.5% $446

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ardabil

$112 22.1% 62.2% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ardabil

$19 3.8% 90.8% $192

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ardabil

$55 10.9% 67.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ardabil

$94 18.5% 44.4% $75

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ardabil

$11 2.2% 88.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ardabil

$20 3.9% 65.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $292 in Ardabil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $15 in Ardabil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $112 per month, with Ardabil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Ardabil

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

14:36 2:36 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

482,632

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Ardabil 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Ardabil

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 Ardabil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ardabil is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $762 in Ardabil 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $292 in Ardabil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ardabil runs roughly 89% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $94 in Ardabil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $508 in Ardabil versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ardabil but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ardabil 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 Ardabil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.