Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cherthala

For one person, living is cheaper in Cherthala: $290 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Cherthala
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Cherthala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cherthala

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cherthala

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $290 in Cherthala, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cherthala $290

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $472 in Cherthala, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cherthala $472

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $654 in Cherthala, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cherthala $654

Medellin costs about 484% more than Cherthala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cherthala is 79% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$0.76 ₹72.4

997.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$6.19 ₹586

651.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$2.31 ₹219

309.96%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.03 ₹97.5

203.88%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.33 ₹31.50

436.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.12 ₹11.79

1083.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.46 ₹138

115.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.89 ₹179

201.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$0.60 ₹57.0

155.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$0.36 ₹33.75

536.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$0.51 ₹48.29

280.39%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$0.85 ₹80.8

261.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$3.77 ₹357

164.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$2.30 ₹218

354.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.14 ₹203

89.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$0.50 ₹47.81

206.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$0.88 ₹83.5

138.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$0.47 ₹44.43

387.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.34 ₹32.67

520.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.38 ₹36.42

350.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.41 ₹38.58

185.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.27 ₹25.79

485.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.93 ₹182

102.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$1.86 ₹176

654.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.06 ₹101

66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.55 ₹147

74.84%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.48 ₹330

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.21 ₹19.90

461.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.93 ₹657

1000.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$0.86 ₹81.7

110.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.49 ₹46.01

334.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$1.62 ₹153

401.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.09 ₹103

17.43%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

204.75%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$19.7K ₹1.9M

73.19%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$20.89 ₹1,979

750.79%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$3.06 ₹290

353.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$4.32 ₹409

611.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$10.33 ₹978

306.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$5.94 ₹562

182.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$1.62 ₹154

361.11%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$45.84 ₹4,343

1623.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$515 ₹48.8K

2285.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$7.53 ₹713

1046.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$8.31 ₹787

613.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$70.9 ₹6,720

95.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$14.44 ₹1,368

584.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$122 ₹11.5K

1003.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$76.8 ₹7,280

768.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$264 ₹25.0K

648.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$190 ₹18.0K

445.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$919 ₹87.1K

345.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$540 ₹51.2K

259.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$232 ₹22.0K

177.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.37

16.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cherthala: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cherthala

$77 26.5% 88.5% $590

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cherthala

$76 26.3% 75.2% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cherthala

$28 9.8% 87.3% $194

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cherthala

$38 13.2% 77.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cherthala

$46 15.7% 73.6% $127

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cherthala

$11 3.8% 88.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cherthala

$14 4.7% 76.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $122 in Cherthala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.8 times higher, 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 $6 in Cherthala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $76 – making Cherthala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Cherthala

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

45,827

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cherthala 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cherthala

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 Cherthala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 484% more than Cherthala, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $435 in Cherthala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cherthala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $6 in Cherthala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $290 in Cherthala. That makes Cherthala about 83% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Cherthala, where all-in costs run around $290, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Cherthala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cherthala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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