Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baku

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $996 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $996 in Baku.

Medellin $1,625
Baku $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,551 in Baku.

Medellin $2,412
Baku $1,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,107 in Baku.

Medellin $3,199
Baku $2,107

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than in Baku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Baku is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.84 ₼15.02

-6.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$39.43 ₼67.0

18.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.26 ₼14.04

11.86%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.50 ₼5.95

-12.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.12 ₼1.91

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.57 ₼0.97

142.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.72 ₼2.93

88.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.98 ₼5.06

86.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.49 ₼2.54

0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.49 ₼0.84

383.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.48 ₼4.21

-31.45%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.99 ₼3.38

48.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.16 ₼8.77

98.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.17 ₼8.79

88.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.85 ₼20.15

17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.34 ₼2.28

208.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.90 ₼3.22

-19.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.58 ₼2.68

40.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.84 ₼3.13

23.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.74 ₼1.25

168.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.61 ₼1.03

173.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.73 ₼1.24

61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.78 ₼1.32

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.97 ₼5.05

30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.59 ₼14.59

60.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.53 ₼2.60

8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.82 ₼4.79

-14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.36 ₼0.62

244.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$20.86 ₼35.44

274.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.12 ₼3.60

-39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.58 ₼0.99

270.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.64 ₼6.18

129.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.64 ₼1.09

110.94%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.3K ₼39.6K

49.24%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$22.1K ₼37.5K

57.14%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$67.7 ₼115

146.31%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.11 ₼18.88

22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$15.09 ₼25.65

92.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$47.83 ₼81.3

-5.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$16.66 ₼28.32

3.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.74 ₼9.76

21.43%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$334 ₼568

136.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,829 ₼11.6K

32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$65.7 ₼112

33.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$55.2 ₼93.7

5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$124 ₼211

12.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$115 ₼195

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$547 ₼930

87.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$301 ₼511

106.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$974 ₼1,655

93.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$488 ₼830

106.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,177 ₼3,699

83.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,315 ₼2,235

29.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$548 ₼932

20.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.46

15.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Baku: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Baku

$301 30.2% 51.5% $319

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Baku

$194 19.5% 34.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Baku

$94 9.4% 55.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Baku

$162 16.2% 6.4% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Baku

$159 16% 7% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Baku

$27 2.7% 71.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Baku

$59 6% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $547 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 21% 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 $39.00 in Baku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $194 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇿 Baku

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

16:37 4:37 PM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,300,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Baku 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Baku differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $996 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $547 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $334 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Baku versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Baku are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.