Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Brest, Belarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $866 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Brest, Belarus
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Brest
🇧🇾 Belarus
$866
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Brest

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $866 in Brest, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Brest $866

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,368 in Brest, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Brest $1,368

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,870 in Brest, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Brest $1,870

Medellin costs about 89% more than Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Brest is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$12.92 BYN 37.98
-37.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$38.46 BYN 113
22.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$6.91 BYN 20.31
37.48%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$2.17 BYN 6.38
38.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.02 BYN 3.00
76.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$0.86 BYN 2.53
63.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$3.17 BYN 9.31
0.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$4.12 BYN 12.11
39.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$1.16 BYN 3.40
30.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$1.04 BYN 3.05
128.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$1.00 BYN 2.95
77.00%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$1.61 BYN 4.72
79.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.03 BYN 20.67
44.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$3.64 BYN 10.69
171.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$3.67 BYN 10.79
281.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.99 BYN 5.86
99.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$2.44 BYN 7.17
-36.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$2.27 BYN 6.68
-3.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$2.59 BYN 7.63
-15.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$0.82 BYN 2.41
139.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$1.66 BYN 4.88
-4.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$2.08 BYN 6.13
-44.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.39 BYN 4.08
-10.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$2.71 BYN 7.96
46.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$7.74 BYN 22.76
76.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.27 BYN 3.73
30.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$2.01 BYN 5.90
12.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Brest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
$0.33 BYN 0.98
254.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$16.03 BYN 47.11
382.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$0.77 BYN 2.26
64.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$0.60 BYN 1.75
241.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$16.86 BYN 49.58
-49.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,349
$0.96 BYN 2.82
40.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$19.8K BYN 58.1K
72.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$28.5K BYN 83.7K
21.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$66.3 BYN 195
155.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$11.55 BYN 33.96
17.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$23.38 BYN 68.7
20.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$34.38 BYN 101
27.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$8.31 BYN 24.44
106.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$5.52 BYN 16.22
25.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$340 BYN 1,000
134.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,463 BYN 19.0K
40.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$52.3 BYN 154
62.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$40.39 BYN 119
43.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$136 BYN 400
-0.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$87.1 BYN 256
12.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Brest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$351 BYN 1,032
244.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$188 BYN 553
241.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$508 BYN 1,494
299.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$315 BYN 925
221.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$2,486 BYN 7,308
67.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,547 BYN 7,488
-24.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Brest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$529 BYN 1,556
24.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11
-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Brest
$188 70.7% $454
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Brest
$186 37.4% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Brest
$101 52.1% $110
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Brest
$182 7.1% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Brest
$142 15.9% $27
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Brest
$21 77.4% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Brest
$45 21.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $351 in Brest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Brest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $186 – making Brest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇾 Brest
🕒 Local time
23:05 11:05 PM
07:05 7:05 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
340,521
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.94 BYN (1 BYN = 0.34 USD). 1 EUR = 3.28 BYN (1 BYN = 0.305 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Brest 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Brest?
Medellin costs about 89% more than Brest, 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 Brest?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,298 in Brest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Brest?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Brest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Brest?
Groceries cost about 60% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Brest?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Brest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Brest?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $866 in Brest. 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 Brest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Medellin or to Brest?
If budget matters most, go with Brest. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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