Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Balti: $974 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Balti

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Balti $974

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Balti $1,854

Medellin costs about 68% more than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Balti is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$8.51 MDL 152

-4.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$22.53 MDL 403

108.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.35 MDL 185

-8.21%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.74 MDL 31.14

72.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.06 MDL 19.00

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.65 MDL 11.70

116.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.12 MDL 20.09

183.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.38 MDL 24.61

316.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.20 MDL 21.54

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.45 MDL 8.03

428.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.54 MDL 27.47

14.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.15 MDL 38.48

34.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.78 MDL 121

50.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.70 MDL 84.1

110.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.18 MDL 111

126.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$0.99 MDL 17.68

301.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.29 MDL 41.03

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.88 MDL 33.65

15.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.29 MDL 40.87

-4.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.71 MDL 12.77

176.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.52 MDL 9.21

205.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.43 MDL 7.71

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.54 MDL 9.73

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.27 MDL 58.5

21.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$4.34 MDL 77.6

215.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.35 MDL 24.21

22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.99 MDL 35.67

13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.34 MDL 6.15

244.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$16.78 MDL 300

361.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.76 MDL 49.41

-53.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.24 MDL 4.25

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.45 MDL 97.4

56.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.62 MDL 29.00

-16.67%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$33.4K MDL 597.1K

2.01%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.1K MDL 430.5K

44.01%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$220 MDL 3,942

-23.05%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.74 MDL 138

75.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$11.03 MDL 197

154.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$36.85 MDL 659

18.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.34 MDL 274

12.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.61 MDL 136

-9.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$113 MDL 2,012

607.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,113 MDL 91.4K

78.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$44.39 MDL 794

90.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$33.84 MDL 605

71.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$55.6 MDL 994

142.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$50.9 MDL 910

92.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$397 MDL 7,093

204.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$280 MDL 5,004

129.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$657 MDL 11.7K

208.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$495 MDL 8,859

104.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

198.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$992 MDL 17.7K

92.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$606 MDL 10.8K

8.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

36.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Balti

$280 28.7% 56.4% $362

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Balti

$162 16.7% 45.4% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Balti

$239 24.6% 13.2% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Balti

$135 13.9% 20.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Balti

$83 8.5% 50.8% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Balti

$22 2.3% 76.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Balti

$52 5.4% 9.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $397 in Balti. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $23 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $162 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

144,800

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Balti 10,490 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Balti

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 Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $974 in Balti – Balti comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $113 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balti, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Balti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Balti – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Balti. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.