Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bilaspur

For one person, living is cheaper in Bilaspur: $366 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Bilaspur
Learn more

Bilaspur Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bilaspur

🇮🇳 India

$366

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bilaspur

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $366 in Bilaspur, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Bilaspur $366

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $592 in Bilaspur, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Bilaspur $592

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $818 in Bilaspur, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bilaspur $818

Medellin costs about 347% more than Bilaspur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Bilaspur is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.07 ₹197

290.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$12.58 ₹1,198

274.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.94 ₹470

92.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.34 ₹128

124.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.37 ₹35.33

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.12 ₹11.61

1075.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.80 ₹171

76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.61 ₹248

120.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.55 ₹52.8

174.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.48 ₹45.42

395.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.75 ₹71.1

136.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$0.90 ₹86.0

221.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.06 ₹482

101.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.87 ₹274

243.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.87 ₹178

112.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.69 ₹65.7

124.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.92 ₹87.6

136.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.44 ₹42.34

395.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.33 ₹31.15

493.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.43 ₹40.79

269.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.40 ₹37.68

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.31 ₹29.91

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.89 ₹466

-19.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.34 ₹699

86.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.41 ₹134

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.57 ₹245

-12.06%

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

$4.96 ₹473

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.21 ₹19.86

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$6.49 ₹618

1092.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.81 ₹77.6

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.29 ₹27.57

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.81 ₹172

372.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.99 ₹94.4

36.36%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$10.0K ₹956.4K

239.18%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.6K ₹1.7M

96.85%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$35.41 ₹3,371

379.10%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$3.83 ₹364

253.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$6.08 ₹579

361.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$14.04 ₹1,337

211.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$6.07 ₹578

183.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$3.22 ₹307

114.60%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$40.36 ₹3,843

1873.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,373 ₹130.7K

563.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$23.40 ₹2,228

262.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$23.40 ₹2,228

147.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$37.73 ₹3,593

257.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$29.83 ₹2,840

228.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$119 ₹11.4K

911.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$75.9 ₹7,230

744.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$262 ₹25.0K

673.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$187 ₹17.8K

442.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$982 ₹93.5K

324.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$503 ₹47.9K

279.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.86

23.48%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bilaspur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bilaspur

$76 20.7% 88.2% $566

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bilaspur

$100 27.3% 66.3% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bilaspur

$45 12.4% 78.5% $166

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bilaspur

$64 17.4% 62.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bilaspur

$51 14.1% 69.5% $118

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bilaspur

$9.6 2.6% 89.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bilaspur

$20 5.6% 64.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $119 in Bilaspur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $13 in Bilaspur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $100 – making Bilaspur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Bilaspur

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

06:32 6:32 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bilaspur 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bilaspur

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 Bilaspur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 347% more than Bilaspur, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $550 in Bilaspur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bilaspur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $119 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 197% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $13 in Bilaspur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bilaspur, where all-in costs run around $366, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Bilaspur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Bilaspur is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 78% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.