Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balikesir

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $942 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Balikesir, Turkey
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Balikesir
🇹🇷 Turkey
$942
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Balikesir

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $942 in Balikesir, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Balikesir $942

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,467 in Balikesir, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Balikesir $1,467

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,991 in Balikesir, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Balikesir $1,991

Medellin costs about 80% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Balikesir is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$6.88 ₺345
21.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$27.55 ₺1,382
68.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$7.93 ₺397
19.42%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$3.50 ₺176
-10.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$1.32 ₺66.4
34.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$0.34 ₺17.11
317.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$2.94 ₺147
7.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$3.99 ₺200
42.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$0.93 ₺46.56
64.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$0.95 ₺47.59
141.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$2.13 ₺107
-8.92%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$1.88 ₺94.1
63.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$7.80 ₺391
28.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$3.45 ₺173
202.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$18.60 ₺933
-24.95%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$1.85 ₺92.9
118.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$1.64 ₺82.5
-6.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$0.99 ₺49.46
112.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$0.98 ₺49.22
133.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$0.45 ₺22.53
368.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$0.30 ₺15.26
470.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$0.72 ₺36.35
62.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$0.75 ₺37.45
110.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$2.23 ₺112
75.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$11.32 ₺568
24.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$2.01 ₺101
-12.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$3.03 ₺152
-10.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
$0.71 ₺35.62
66.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$39.40 ₺1,976
93.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$1.12 ₺56.2
61.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$1.13 ₺56.6
88.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$4.00 ₺201
103.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$1.31 ₺65.8
-2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$39.8K ₺2.0M
-13.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$40.4K ₺2.0M
-15.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$44.52 ₺2,233
299.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$12.10 ₺607
14.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$14.95 ₺750
105.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
$59.2 ₺2,967
-29.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$29.92 ₺1,501
-43.85%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$4.04 ₺203
84.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$589 ₺29.5K
34.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$12.0K ₺600.6K
2.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$23.59 ₺1,183
266.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$16.28 ₺817
264.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$70.8 ₺3,552
95.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$40.30 ₺2,021
145.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$401 ₺20.1K
234.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$325 ₺16.3K
105.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$827 ₺41.5K
138.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$574 ₺28.8K
79.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,006 ₺50.5K
307.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$806 ₺40.4K
140.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Balikesir
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,297 ₺65.0K
-50.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
39.8
-72.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Balikesir: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Balikesir
$325 51.4% $343
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Balikesir
$212 31.1% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Balikesir
$72 67.8% $151
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Balikesir
$150 13% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Balikesir
$68 60.5% $104
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Balikesir
$49 47.6% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Balikesir
$67 18.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $401 in Balikesir. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Balikesir are about 2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in Balikesir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $212 – making Balikesir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇷 Balikesir
🕒 Local time
03:20 3:20 AM
11:20 11:20 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,196,170
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Balikesir 10,700 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Balikesir

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 Balikesir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Balikesir?
Medellin costs about 80% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Balikesir?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,413 in Balikesir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Balikesir?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balikesir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $401 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Balikesir?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $942 in Balikesir. That makes Balikesir about 44% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Medellin compared to Balikesir?
Public transport costs about 48% less in Balikesir. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Balikesir?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $942 in Balikesir. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Balikesir – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Balikesir is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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