Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $557 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
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Birjand Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Birjand

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $557 in Birjand, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Birjand $557

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $878 in Birjand, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Birjand $878

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,198 in Birjand, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Birjand $1,198

Medellin costs about 190% more than Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Birjand is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.40 $3.40

133.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$19.37 $19.37

138.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.85 $3.85

146.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.09 $1.09

185.32%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.44 $0.44

315.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.13 $1.13

22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.61 $0.61

137.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.48 $0.48

391.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.99 $1.99

-15.58%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.17 $1.17

144.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.90 $4.90

107.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.18 $3.18

199.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.08 $9.08

54.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.09 $1.09

273.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.78 $1.78

-15.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.77 $0.77

181.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.60 $0.60

285.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.52 $0.52

271.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.55 $0.55

198.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.49 $0.49

130.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.21 $0.21

495.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.35 $2.35

69.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.16 $0.16

656.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$10.67 $10.67

616.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.38 $0.38

247.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.29 $0.29

637.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.24 $2.24

278.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.08 $0.08

1525.00%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$48.0K $48.0K

-41.64%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$47.9K $47.9K

-26.12%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$13.94 $13.94

1134.51%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$1.47 $1.47

809.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$3.50 $3.50

720.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$19.45 $19.45

132.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$13.79 $13.79

23.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$2.08 $2.08

201.92%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$119 $119

547.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,693 $2,693

234.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$23.19 $23.19

272.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$29.44 $29.44

94.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$98.0 $98.0

39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$68.1 $68.1

43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$258 $258

308.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$234 $234

162.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$726 $726

160.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$387 $387

164.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,006 $1,006

303.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$526 $526

219.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.3

-54.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Birjand: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Birjand

$234 42.1% 61.9% $381

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Birjand

$111 19.9% 62.4% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Birjand

$19 3.4% 91.2% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Birjand

$98 17.7% 42.1% $72

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Birjand

$58 10.4% 65.5% $110

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Birjand

$13 2.4% 85.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Birjand

$24 4.2% 59.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $258 in Birjand. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $19.00 in Birjand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $111 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

04:30 4:30 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

203,636

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,570 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Birjand 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Birjand

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $557 in Birjand – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $836 in Birjand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birjand, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 166% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $19.00 in Birjand. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birjand, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Birjand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $557 in Birjand to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Birjand. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.