Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balasore

For one person, living is cheaper in Balasore: $333 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Balasore
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Balasore Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Balasore

🇮🇳 India

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Balasore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $333 in Balasore.

Medellin $1,639
Balasore $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $524 in Balasore.

Medellin $2,413
Balasore $524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $716 in Balasore.

Medellin $3,186
Balasore $716

Living in Medellin is roughly 392% more expensive than in Balasore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Balasore is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$1.60 ₹152

405.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$8.65 ₹824

443.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.07 ₹388

133.42%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$0.87 ₹82.9

245.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.29 ₹27.60

520.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.10 ₹9.69

1310.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.28 ₹122

148.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.05 ₹195

180.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.49 ₹46.95

208.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.43 ₹40.56

453.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.62 ₹58.9

185.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$0.83 ₹78.7

248.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$2.99 ₹284

240.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$2.09 ₹199

372.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.86 ₹177

113.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.67 ₹63.6

131.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.07 ₹102

103.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.65 ₹62.3

235.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.25 ₹23.98

684.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.35 ₹32.88

354.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.33 ₹31.86

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.23 ₹21.86

439.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.00 ₹476

-20.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.56 ₹1,005

29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.38 ₹131

20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.17 ₹206

4.15%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.95 ₹376

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.49 ₹46.41

138.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$6.58 ₹627

1075.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.80 ₹76.2

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.17 ₹15.88

1105.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.64 ₹156

421.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.09 ₹104

23.85%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$8,401 ₹799.8K

305.53%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$23.0K ₹2.2M

50.76%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$22.44 ₹2,136

656.02%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$3.10 ₹295

337.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$7.01 ₹668

300.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$18.41 ₹1,753

137.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$0.86 ₹81.9

1898.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$2.04 ₹194

238.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$33.48 ₹3,187

2279.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$1,670 ₹159.0K

445.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$26.58 ₹2,531

218.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$25.82 ₹2,459

124.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$35.63 ₹3,392

278.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$29.14 ₹2,774

235.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$119 ₹11.3K

915.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$74.6 ₹7,098

760.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$263 ₹25.1K

669.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$166 ₹15.8K

508.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$565 ₹53.8K

637.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$383 ₹36.5K

398.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$402 ₹38.3K

63.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.8

40.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Balasore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Balasore

$75 22.4% 88.4% $567

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Balasore

$93 28% 68.7% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Balasore

$33 9.8% 84.6% $179

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Balasore

$48 14.3% 72% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Balasore

$53 15.8% 68.8% $116

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Balasore

$10 3.1% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Balasore

$22 6.8% 60.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $119 in Balasore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 63% 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 $9 in Balasore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $93 per month, with Balasore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Balasore

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

05:43 5:43 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

144,373

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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 = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Balasore 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Balasore

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 Balasore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balasore wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Balasore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 63% 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 $119 in Balasore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Balasore – a meal for two runs $9 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $333 in Balasore – Balasore is about 80% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $333 in Balasore versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Balasore but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Balasore 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 Balasore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.