Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,541 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Belgrade, Serbia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,343 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Belgrade $2,343

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,146 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Belgrade $3,146

Medellin costs about 6% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Belgrade sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Belgrade by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$13.09 RSD 1,373
-38.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$56.1 RSD 5,887
-16.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$13.35 RSD 1,400
-28.84%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.10 RSD 325
-2.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.72 RSD 286
-33.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$2.24 RSD 235
-37.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$3.51 RSD 368
-9.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$4.06 RSD 426
41.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.39 RSD 146
8.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.12 RSD 117
112.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.65 RSD 278
-33.21%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.69 RSD 282
7.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$10.92 RSD 1,145
-6.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$6.52 RSD 684
51.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$15.55 RSD 1,631
-10.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.59 RSD 167
149.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.83 RSD 192
-15.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.80 RSD 189
21.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$3.10 RSD 325
-29.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.87 RSD 90.8
125.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.66 RSD 68.8
140.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$0.77 RSD 80.5
49.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.69 RSD 72.3
79.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$4.73 RSD 496
-16.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$8.61 RSD 903
58.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,222
$0.94 RSD 98.8
76.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,104
$1.51 RSD 159
49.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$3.02 RSD 316
-57.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.99 RSD 104
107.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$17.07 RSD 1,791
-49.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.87 RSD 196
-27.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$31.0K RSD 3.3M
9.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$23.4K RSD 2.5M
48.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$212 RSD 22.3K
-20.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$24.87 RSD 2,609
-45.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$34.64 RSD 3,633
-18.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$40.02 RSD 4,197
9.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$22.70 RSD 2,381
-24.27%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$8.02 RSD 841
-13.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$439 RSD 46.0K
81.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$11.3K RSD 1.2M
-19.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$111 RSD 11.6K
-23.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$47.02 RSD 4,932
23.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$113 RSD 11.8K
19.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$152 RSD 15.9K
-35.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$806 RSD 84.5K
49.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$547 RSD 57.3K
17.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,551 RSD 162.6K
30.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$982 RSD 102.9K
3.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$5,342 RSD 560.3K
-21.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,117 RSD 326.9K
-38.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,217 RSD 127.6K
-46.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.61
137.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Belgrade
$547 14.8% $95
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Belgrade
$240 19.1% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Belgrade
$272 28.6% $61
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Belgrade
$228 34.2% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Belgrade
$190 12.5% $21
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Belgrade
$8 * 91.5% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Belgrade
$56 2.6% $1.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $806 in Belgrade. 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 85% higher in Belgrade, 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 $56 in Belgrade. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $240 in Belgrade – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
10:12 10:12 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Belgrade 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Belgrade

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 Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,541 in Belgrade – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,311 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $806 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $56 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How far does $2,000 go in Medellin compared to Belgrade?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,541 in Belgrade, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Medellin or Belgrade?
Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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