Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Banepa

For one person, living is cheaper in Banepa: $324 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Banepa, Nepal
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Banepa
🇳🇵 Nepal
$324
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Banepa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $324 in Banepa.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Banepa $324

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $529 in Banepa.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Banepa $529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $734 in Banepa.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Banepa $734

Living in Medellin is roughly 423% more expensive than in Banepa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Banepa is 76% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$1.92 NPR 291
334.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$20.41 NPR 3,090
127.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$6.48 NPR 981
46.14%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$1.30 NPR 197
140.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,727
$0.51 NPR 77.8
247.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,619
$0.13 NPR 19.53
992.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$2.71 NPR 411
16.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$3.36 NPR 509
69.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,969
$0.44 NPR 67.1
247.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,429
$0.61 NPR 92.9
275.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,306
$0.29 NPR 43.59
568.97%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,942
$1.41 NPR 213
117.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$2.94 NPR 445
239.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$3.13 NPR 474
233.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$1.60 NPR 242
772.50%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.09 NPR 317
93.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,956
$1.17 NPR 177
30.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,823
$0.42 NPR 63.2
400.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,437
$0.34 NPR 52.1
573.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,839
$0.25 NPR 37.76
744.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,542
$0.34 NPR 51.7
402.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,794
$0.45 NPR 68.1
160.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,123
$0.22 NPR 33.27
618.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$2.02 NPR 306
93.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.5K
$8.88 NPR 1,344
58.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,712
$1.02 NPR 155
72.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,793
$1.52 NPR 229
78.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,825
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$30.16 NPR 4,567
152.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,859
$1.68 NPR 255
7.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,904
$1.22 NPR 184
74.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$3.27 NPR 495
148.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,135
$1.40 NPR 212
-8.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$36.5K NPR 5.5M
-5.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$36.6K NPR 5.5M
-6.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.3K
$31.42 NPR 4,758
465.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$3.63 NPR 550
282.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$9.08 NPR 1,376
238.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$2.95 NPR 447
153.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$65.9 NPR 9,983
1098.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$14.9K NPR 2.3M
-17.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 279.9K
$21.71 NPR 3,288
297.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$27.27 NPR 4,130
117.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.6K
$62.3 NPR 9,440
121.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.4K
$28.67 NPR 4,341
244.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Banepa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
9.98
9.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Banepa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Banepa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Banepa
$99 67.7% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Banepa
$44 80.2% $178
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Banepa
$73 57.5% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Banepa
$63 63.4% $109
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Banepa
$38 * 59.4% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Banepa
$5.9 * 89.6% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $20 in Banepa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $99 per month, with Banepa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇳🇵 Banepa
🕒 Local time
13:43 1:43 PM
00:28 12:28 AM
10 h 45 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
67,629
💱 Currency
Nepalese Rupee NPR रु
Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Banepa 15,730 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Banepa

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 Banepa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Banepa cheaper than Medellin?
Banepa is about 81% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $485 in Banepa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Banepa?
Supermarket bills run roughly 210% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Banepa?
Dining out is cheaper in Banepa – a meal for two runs $20 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Banepa?
At $324 in Banepa versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Banepa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Banepa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Banepa?
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.

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