Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Biysk

For one person, living is cheaper in Biysk: $1,276 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Biysk, Russia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Biysk
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,276
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Biysk

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,276 in Biysk, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Biysk $1,276

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,990 in Biysk, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Biysk $1,990

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,703 in Biysk, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Biysk $2,703

Medellin costs about 33% more than Biysk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Biysk is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$12.13 ₽989
-31.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$61.9 ₽5,047
-24.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$6.59 ₽537
43.70%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$2.52 ₽205
24.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$2.17 ₽177
-18.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$1.16 ₽94.5
22.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$4.14 ₽338
-23.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$3.11 ₽254
83.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$1.42 ₽116
7.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$0.79 ₽64.4
189.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$1.43 ₽117
35.66%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$1.62 ₽132
89.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$8.98 ₽732
11.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$7.10 ₽579
47.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$9.24 ₽754
51.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.05 ₽168
97.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$2.31 ₽188
-33.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$2.42 ₽198
-13.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$4.20 ₽343
-45.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$0.92 ₽75.4
129.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$0.55 ₽45.24
210.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$1.54 ₽126
-24.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$0.71 ₽58.0
122.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$3.70 ₽302
5.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$5.97 ₽487
135.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$1.82 ₽149
-3.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$2.70 ₽220
0.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
$0.53 ₽43.54
122.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$28.20 ₽2,300
170.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$1.89 ₽154
-4.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$0.35 ₽28.77
508.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$5.82 ₽475
39.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$0.87 ₽71.2
47.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$34.0K ₽2.8M
1.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$35.7K ₽2.9M
-4.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$230 ₽18.8K
-22.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$5.37 ₽438
158.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$6.54 ₽533
370.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
$34.05 ₽2,777
23.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$22.70 ₽1,851
-25.99%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$7.48 ₽610
-0.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$357 ₽29.1K
121.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$6,348 ₽517.7K
93.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$91.4 ₽7,454
-5.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$54.4 ₽4,434
8.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$138 ₽11.2K
0.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$117 ₽9,554
-15.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$429 ₽35.0K
212.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$359 ₽29.3K
85.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,028 ₽83.8K
92.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$660 ₽53.8K
56.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$2,295 ₽187.2K
78.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,419 ₽115.8K
36.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Biysk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
22.75
-51.91%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Biysk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Biysk
$359 46.1% $308
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Biysk
$224 27% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Biysk
$242 8.9% $20
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Biysk
$187 8.5% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Biysk
$180 4.6% $8
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Biysk
$34 63.6% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Biysk
$49 13.9% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $429 in Biysk. 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 $62 in Biysk. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $224 in Biysk – so Biysk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇺 Biysk
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
16:08 4:08 PM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
198,433
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Biysk 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Biysk

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 Biysk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Biysk?
Medellin costs about 33% more than Biysk, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Biysk?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,914 in Biysk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Biysk?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Biysk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $429 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Biysk?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Biysk?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $62 in Biysk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Biysk?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,276 in Biysk. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Biysk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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