Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arkhangelsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Arkhangelsk: $1,168 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Arkhangelsk
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Arkhangelsk Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arkhangelsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk.

Medellin $1,625
Arkhangelsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,801 in Arkhangelsk.

Medellin $2,412
Arkhangelsk $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,434 in Arkhangelsk.

Medellin $3,199
Arkhangelsk $2,434

Living in Medellin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Arkhangelsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Arkhangelsk is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$49.21 ₽4,107

-4.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.90 ₽826

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.67 ₽306

-16.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.36 ₽197

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.41 ₽201

-42.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.65 ₽304

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$6.03 ₽503

-7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.07 ₽88.9

40.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.94 ₽78.2

152.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.78 ₽148

-4.49%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.76 ₽147

68.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.36 ₽698

22.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.12 ₽511

59.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.38 ₽1,116

3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.45 ₽204

68.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.79 ₽149

-14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.18 ₽98.3

88.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.49 ₽208

-8.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.88 ₽73.2

126.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.50 ₽41.38

234.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.47 ₽38.99

151.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.63 ₽52.5

96.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.98 ₽249

29.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.53 ₽712

61.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.89 ₽74.4

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.09 ₽258

-22.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.59 ₽49.65

110.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$51.6 ₽4,307

51.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.97 ₽414

-74.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.18 ₽15.17

1094.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.79 ₽65.7

70.89%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$52.5K ₽4.4M

-33.84%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-13.44%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$114 ₽9,507

46.30%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$9.53 ₽796

42.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$17.79 ₽1,485

63.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$54.6 ₽4,557

-17.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$48.61 ₽4,057

-64.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.73 ₽812

-28.37%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$183 ₽15.2K

332.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$85.4 ₽7,127

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$36.31 ₽3,030

60.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.6 ₽6,059

91.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$95.5 ₽7,968

3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$600 ₽50.1K

71.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$428 ₽35.7K

44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$846 ₽70.6K

122.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$719 ₽60.0K

40.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,367 ₽114.1K

191.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$859 ₽71.7K

98.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$554 ₽46.3K

19.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-52.43%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arkhangelsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Arkhangelsk

$428 36.7% 30.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Arkhangelsk

$211 18.1% 29.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Arkhangelsk

$141 12.1% 32.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Arkhangelsk

$130 11.2% 24.5% $42

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Arkhangelsk

$123 * 10.5% 27.9% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Arkhangelsk

$60 5.1% 37.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Arkhangelsk

$74 6.3% 25.4% $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 $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 20% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $49.00 in Arkhangelsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $211, with Arkhangelsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

19:11 7:11 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

344,927

💱 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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Medellin Arkhangelsk 10,580 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arkhangelsk

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 Arkhangelsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Arkhangelsk differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $1,168 including rent). Arkhangelsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arkhangelsk runs roughly 52% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arkhangelsk but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Arkhangelsk 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 Arkhangelsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.