Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $373 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
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Chittagong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chittagong

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $373 in Chittagong, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Chittagong $373

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $629 in Chittagong, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Chittagong $629

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $886 in Chittagong, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Chittagong $886

Medellin costs about 340% more than Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Chittagong is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.98 ৳246

308.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$12.08 ৳1,503

289.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.33 ৳663

78.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ৳329

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 ৳516

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.97 ৳245

52.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.36 ৳44.56

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.12 ৳14.39

1075.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.76 ৳94.6

98.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.59 ৳73.1

303.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.66 ৳82.7

168.18%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.12 ৳139

158.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.32 ৳911

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.13 ৳266

363.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.28 ৳906

92.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.27 ৳283

74.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.90 ৳112

72.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.97 ৳245

10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.87 ৳108

150.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.46 ৳57.3

326.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.78 ৳97.5

103.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.46 ৳57.8

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.32 ৳39.81

287.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.12 ৳513

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ৳105

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ৳177

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.00 ৳374

32.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.08 ৳10.36

1362.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$4.71 ৳586

1542.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.83 ৳104

53.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.54 ৳67.1

279.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.14 ৳515

106.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.13 ৳141

19.47%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$32.3K ৳4.0M

5.54%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$44.6K ৳5.5M

-22.26%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$29.87 ৳3,716

467.96%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$5.39 ৳671

151.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$12.42 ৳1,546

126.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$20.10 ৳2,500

117.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$14.24 ৳1,772

20.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.53 ৳439

95.75%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$35.45 ৳4,411

2147.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,461 ৳181.7K

523.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$22.96 ৳2,857

268.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$19.68 ৳2,448

194.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$55.8 ৳6,935

142.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$33.99 ৳4,228

187.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$127 ৳15.8K

851.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$59.9 ৳7,450

971.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$306 ৳38.1K

561.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$163 ৳20.3K

519.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$800 ৳99.5K

421.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$466 ৳57.9K

310.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$274 ৳34.0K

140.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.5

-4.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chittagong

$60 16.1% 90.7% $582

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chittagong

$113 30.2% 62% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chittagong

$48 12.8% 77.4% $164

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chittagong

$57 15.4% 66.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chittagong

$60 16% 64.7% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chittagong

$8.6 2.3% 90.8% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 52.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $127 in Chittagong. 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 2.4 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 $12 in Chittagong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $113 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

15:40 3:40 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chittagong 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $373 in Chittagong – Chittagong comes out roughly 77% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $559 in Chittagong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $373 in Chittagong. That makes Chittagong about 77% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Chittagong. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chittagong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chittagong – 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 Chittagong. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.