Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cacak

For one person, living is cheaper in Cacak: $1,054 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Cacak, Serbia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Cacak
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,054
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cacak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,054 in Cacak.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Cacak $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,571 in Cacak.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Cacak $1,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,088 in Cacak.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Cacak $2,088

Living in Medellin is roughly 56% more expensive than in Cacak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cacak is 23% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$7.21 RSD 760
12.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$38.39 RSD 4,045
22.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$11.54 RSD 1,216
-17.68%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$1.49 RSD 157
102.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.45 RSD 258
-26.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.46 RSD 154
-3.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$2.42 RSD 255
31.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$2.42 RSD 255
137.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.25 RSD 132
20.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$0.77 RSD 81.6
209.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.69 RSD 283
-34.20%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.54 RSD 267
13.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$3.86 RSD 407
163.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$7.07 RSD 745
39.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$14.33 RSD 1,510
-2.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.23 RSD 130
222.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.94 RSD 204
-20.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.67 RSD 176
30.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$2.47 RSD 260
-11.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.03 RSD 109
90.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.65 RSD 68.1
144.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$0.94 RSD 99.3
22.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.55 RSD 57.8
125.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$4.70 RSD 495
-15.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$7.03 RSD 740
94.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$0.94 RSD 98.9
76.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.25 RSD 237
0.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$0.98 RSD 104
19.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$16.56 RSD 1,745
367.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$1.95 RSD 205
-34.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.96 RSD 101
113.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$10.62 RSD 1,119
-19.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.73 RSD 182
-21.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$26.5K RSD 2.8M
28.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$23.7K RSD 2.5M
46.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$141 RSD 14.9K
20.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$19.02 RSD 2,004
-28.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$19.27 RSD 2,030
45.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$29.04 RSD 3,060
50.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$7.04 RSD 741
-1.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$367 RSD 38.7K
116.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$7,491 RSD 789.3K
21.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$117 RSD 12.3K
-27.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$44.75 RSD 4,715
29.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$138 RSD 14.5K
-2.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$127 RSD 13.4K
-22.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$307 RSD 32.4K
293.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$264 RSD 27.8K
143.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$427 RSD 45.0K
374.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$369 RSD 38.9K
174.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$2,071 RSD 218.3K
101.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$1,563 RSD 164.7K
22.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cacak
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$726 RSD 76.5K
-9.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.17
111.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cacak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Cacak
$264 58.9% $378
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Cacak
$206 30.7% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Cacak
$180 15% $32
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Cacak
$143 15.8% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Cacak
$192 13.5% $23
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Cacak
$27 70.9% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Cacak
$43 25% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $307 in Cacak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cacak pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Cacak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $206 per month, with Cacak cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇸 Cacak
🕒 Local time
13:47 1:47 PM
19:47 7:47 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
69,598
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Cacak 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Cacak

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 Cacak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cacak cheaper than Medellin?
Cacak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Medellin or Cacak?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Cacak?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $307 in Cacak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $367 in Cacak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Cacak?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Cacak?
At $1,054 in Cacak versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cacak but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cacak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Cacak?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cacak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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