Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Birgunj

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
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Birgunj Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Birgunj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $354 in Birgunj.

Medellin $1,639
Birgunj $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $576 in Birgunj.

Medellin $2,413
Birgunj $576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $797 in Birgunj.

Medellin $3,186
Birgunj $797

Living in Medellin is roughly 363% more expensive than in Birgunj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Birgunj is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.29 NPR 197

527.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$19.97 NPR 3,031

135.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.17 NPR 1,088

32.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.53 NPR 232

96.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.56 NPR 84.4

221.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.15 NPR 22.24

840.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.25 NPR 341

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.37 NPR 512

70.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.63 NPR 95.9

139.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.24 NPR 36.13

891.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$0.60 NPR 91.7

195.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.58 NPR 240

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.28 NPR 1,105

39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.30 NPR 350

329.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.15 NPR 934

127.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.00 NPR 304

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$0.95 NPR 144

63.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.36 NPR 206

60.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$0.56 NPR 84.3

289.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.41 NPR 62.6

378.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.51 NPR 77.4

211.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.12 NPR 17.64

858.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.22 NPR 33.92

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.62 NPR 246

144.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.06 NPR 1,223

69.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.22 NPR 337

-25.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.07 NPR 466

-26.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.13 NPR 19.79

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.84 NPR 280

-30.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.21 NPR 183

69.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.18 NPR 483

168.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.09 NPR 166

23.85%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-6.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

-4.23%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$31.67 NPR 4,808

435.68%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$3.32 NPR 504

308.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$9.24 NPR 1,403

203.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$13.32 NPR 2,022

228.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.93 NPR 293

258.03%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

1079.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

63.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$24.27 NPR 3,684

249.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$27.21 NPR 4,130

113.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$26.11 NPR 3,964

416.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$16.21 NPR 2,460

503.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$33.93 NPR 5,150

3459.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$39.29 NPR 5,965

1532.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$123 NPR 18.7K

1545.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

1206.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$654 NPR 99.3K

537.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$495 NPR 75.2K

285.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Birgunj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Birgunj

$39 11.1% 93.9% $602

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Birgunj

$132 37.2% 55.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Birgunj

$44 12.5% 79.1% $167

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Birgunj

$71 20% 58.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Birgunj

$42 11.9% 75% $127

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4% 91% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Birgunj

$17 4.9% 70.1% $40

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $34 in Birgunj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $20 in Birgunj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $132 per month, with Birgunj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

08:34 8:34 AM

10 h 45 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

135,904

💱 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 = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Birgunj 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Birgunj

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 Birgunj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $531 in Birgunj 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $34 in Birgunj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $68 in Birgunj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Birgunj – a meal for two runs $20 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $354 in Birgunj versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Birgunj but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Birgunj 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.