Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Biratnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Biratnagar: $320 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Biratnagar
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Biratnagar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Biratnagar

🇳🇵 Nepal

$320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Biratnagar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $320 in Biratnagar.

Medellin $1,692
Biratnagar $320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $525 in Biratnagar.

Medellin $2,471
Biratnagar $525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $731 in Biratnagar.

Medellin $3,249
Biratnagar $731

Living in Medellin is roughly 428% more expensive than in Biratnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.57 NPR 237

431.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$14.00 NPR 2,117

232.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.72 NPR 1,167

22.67%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.20 NPR 181

160.83%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.32 NPR 47.70

453.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.46 NPR 221

115.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.09 NPR 316

172.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$0.57 NPR 86.4

168.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.38 NPR 57.7

502.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$0.59 NPR 89.5

228.81%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.21 NPR 183

153.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.57 NPR 691

118.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$2.73 NPR 413

282.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$3.16 NPR 477

341.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.00 NPR 302

102.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$0.75 NPR 114

104.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.34 NPR 202

56.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$0.52 NPR 79.3

340.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.36 NPR 55.1

486.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.46 NPR 69.6

271.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.25 NPR 37.71

368.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.29 NPR 43.37

444.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.67 NPR 404

46.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.61 NPR 244

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.33 NPR 352

16.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.17 NPR 25.00

594.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$11.61 NPR 1,755

557.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.98 NPR 300

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.35 NPR 355

245.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.18 NPR 179

8.47%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$20.7K NPR 3.1M

66.41%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

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

$178 COP 574.1K

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$4.20 NPR 636

230.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$9.30 NPR 1,406

230.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$27.74 NPR 4,194

51.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$1.95 NPR 295

761.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.19 NPR 483

134.17%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$47.75 NPR 7,221

1554.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,773 NPR 268.1K

593.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$20.26 NPR 3,063

326.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$33.19 NPR 5,020

78.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$24.39 NPR 3,688

467.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$29.19 NPR 4,413

238.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$46.79 NPR 7,076

2765.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$52.3 NPR 7,905

1176.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$132 NPR 20.0K

1393.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$97.5 NPR 14.7K

959.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$396 NPR 59.9K

933.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$267 NPR 40.3K

627.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$165 NPR 24.9K

292.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-21.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Biratnagar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Biratnagar

$52 16.3% 92.2% $615

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Biratnagar

$95 * 29.7% 69% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.2% 93.9% $209

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Biratnagar

$63 * 19.6% 63.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Biratnagar

$48 15% 72% $124

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.5% 84.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Biratnagar

$34 10.7% 40% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $47 in Biratnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.9 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $14 in Biratnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $95 per month, with Biratnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇵 Biratnagar

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

18:11 6:11 PM

10 h 45 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

166,674

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Biratnagar 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Biratnagar

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 Biratnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Biratnagar 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.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $47 in Biratnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 223% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Biratnagar – a meal for two runs $14 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $320 in Biratnagar versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Biratnagar but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Biratnagar 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 Biratnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.