Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $1,003 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,003 in Bishkek.

Medellin $1,589
Bishkek $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $1,502 in Bishkek.

Medellin $2,364
Bishkek $1,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $2,000 in Bishkek.

Medellin $3,139
Bishkek $2,000

Living in Medellin is roughly 58% more expensive than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Bishkek is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$6.66 KGS 582

20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$28.85 KGS 2,522

61.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.67 KGS 495

66.31%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$2.47 KGS 216

17.81%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$0.77 KGS 67.4

127.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.40 KGS 35.16

230.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$1.40 KGS 122

123.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$1.98 KGS 173

180.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.03 KGS 89.9

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$0.39 KGS 33.98

525.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.73 KGS 151

-5.78%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.71 KGS 150

64.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.62 KGS 667

27.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$4.47 KGS 390

108.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$8.88 KGS 776

51.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.41 KGS 123

183.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.90 KGS 166

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.01 KGS 176

5.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.57 KGS 137

43.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$0.62 KGS 54.4

208.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$0.48 KGS 41.95

237.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.75 KGS 65.6

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.61 KGS 53.0

106.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$2.07 KGS 181

84.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$9.06 KGS 792

44.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.43 KGS 125

11.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.03 KGS 177

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.22 KGS 19.15

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$11.84 KGS 1,035

533.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$0.83 KGS 72.7

53.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.47 KGS 41.09

336.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$5.64 KGS 493

45.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.94 KGS 82.6

35.11%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$30.4K KGS 2.7M

-11.99%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

2.46%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$49.60 KGS 4,336

227.04%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$5.87 KGS 513

123.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$11.90 KGS 1,040

136.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$54.8 KGS 4,787

-19.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$14.89 KGS 1,301

9.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$5.62 KGS 491

8.36%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$216 KGS 18.9K

254.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$7,991 KGS 698.5K

11.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$55.0 KGS 4,811

54.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$42.42 KGS 3,709

35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$89.8 KGS 7,849

46.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$91.1 KGS 7,959

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$598 KGS 52.3K

71.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$418 KGS 36.5K

44.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,013 KGS 88.6K

77.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$723 KGS 63.2K

37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$1,808 KGS 158.0K

116.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,209 KGS 105.7K

35.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$506 KGS 44.2K

23.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

20.1

-45.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Bishkek

$418 42.4% 30.9% $187

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Bishkek

$177 17.9% 38.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Bishkek

$67 6.8% 66.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Bishkek

$125 12.7% 24.8% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Bishkek

$116 11.7% 30.5% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 82.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Bishkek

$66 6.7% 16.8% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $598 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 24% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $29.00 in Bishkek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $177 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.42 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.96 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Bishkek 13,780 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bishkek

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 Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bishkek is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $598 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $216 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,003 in Bishkek versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bishkek but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bishkek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bishkek is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Bishkek are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.