Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $328 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 Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bhilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $328 in Bhilai.

Medellin $1,639
Bhilai $328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $557 in Bhilai.

Medellin $2,413
Bhilai $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $786 in Bhilai.

Medellin $3,186
Bhilai $786

Living in Medellin is roughly 400% more expensive than in Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.67 ₹253

203.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$8.83 ₹838

432.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.08 ₹292

208.44%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.91 ₹181

57.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.29 ₹27.06

520.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.22 ₹20.56

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.59 ₹151

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.81 ₹267

104.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.56 ₹52.9

169.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.39 ₹36.76

510.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.60 ₹56.8

195.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.01 ₹96.1

186.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.09 ₹389

149.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.82 ₹267

250.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.36 ₹224

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.53 ₹50.6

192.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.89 ₹84.4

144.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.48 ₹45.19

354.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.35 ₹33.61

460.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.45 ₹42.32

253.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.27 ₹25.74

325.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.29 ₹27.22

327.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.16 ₹490

-23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.66 ₹442

193.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.69 ₹160

-1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.70 ₹257

-16.30%

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

$3.83 ₹363

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.38 ₹36.46

207.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$6.37 ₹605

1114.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.02 ₹97.1

24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.22 ₹20.92

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.86 ₹177

359.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.12 ₹106

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

201.26%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$18.1K ₹1.7M

91.40%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$31.61 ₹3,002

436.70%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$3.21 ₹305

322.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$4.79 ₹454

486.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$6.94 ₹659

529.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$3.08 ₹292

458.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.31 ₹314

108.76%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$82.5 ₹7,832

865.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,042 ₹98.9K

774.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$23.26 ₹2,208

264.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$28.63 ₹2,718

102.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$23.96 ₹2,275

463.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$23.58 ₹2,239

315.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$73.8 ₹7,002

1537.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$58.0 ₹5,508

1005.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$265 ₹25.2K

665.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$209 ₹19.8K

385.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$675 ₹64.1K

-2.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.82

24.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bhilai

$58 17.7% 91% $584

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bhilai

$93 28.3% 68.8% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bhilai

$40 12.1% 81.3% $172

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bhilai

$69 21.1% 59.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bhilai

$45 13.7% 73.5% $124

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bhilai

$10 3.1% 89.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bhilai

$14 4.1% 76.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $74 in Bhilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhilai pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $9 in Bhilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $93 per month, with Bhilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

627,734

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 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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Between locations

Medellin Bhilai 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bhilai

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 Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $328 in Bhilai, so Bhilai is about 80% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $74 in Bhilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $82 in Bhilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 220% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $328 in Bhilai versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bhilai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bhilai 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 Bhilai 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.