Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $639 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Darkhan

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

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

Medellin $1,639
Darkhan $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,049 in Darkhan.

Medellin $2,413
Darkhan $1,049

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,459 in Darkhan.

Medellin $3,186
Darkhan $1,459

Living in Medellin is roughly 156% more expensive than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Darkhan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$5.47 MNT 19.7K

47.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$31.70 MNT 114.1K

48.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.58 MNT 20.1K

70.25%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.36 MNT 8,493

27.54%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.87 MNT 3,140

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.57 MNT 2,035

147.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.31 MNT 8,302

37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.23 MNT 11.6K

78.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.48 MNT 5,334

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.98 MNT 3,512

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.05 MNT 7,372

-13.66%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.15 MNT 7,755

34.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

-18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.99 MNT 18.0K

97.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$6.59 MNT 23.7K

112.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.99 MNT 10.7K

32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.36 MNT 8,488

-34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$3.67 MNT 13.2K

-40.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$3.10 MNT 11.1K

-29.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.75 MNT 2,709

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.09 MNT 3,926

45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.72 MNT 6,195

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.79 MNT 2,861

56.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.73 MNT 6,213

128.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

32.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.43 MNT 5,157

16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.76 MNT 6,325

28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.55 MNT 1,976

130.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.57 MNT 2,035

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

36.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.12 MNT 4,031

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$26.4K MNT 94.9M

29.15%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$34.3K MNT 123.5M

1.07%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$72.1 MNT 259.6K

135.20%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$7.36 MNT 26.5K

84.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$13.42 MNT 48.3K

109.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.21 MNT 15.2K

64.13%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$783 MNT 2.8M

1.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$8,296 MNT 29.9M

9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$80.6 MNT 290.1K

5.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$46.13 MNT 166.0K

25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$104 MNT 374.3K

29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$185 MNT 666.8K

-47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.32

6.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Darkhan

$235 36.7% 20.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Darkhan

$93 14.5% 56% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Darkhan

$113 17.6% 33.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Darkhan

$187 29.3% 10.8% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Darkhan

$3.4 * 0.5% 96.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Darkhan

$8.4 * 1.3% 85.4% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Darkhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $235 per month, with Darkhan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

74,738

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,016 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Darkhan 13,810 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Darkhan

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 Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $959 in Darkhan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $783 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Darkhan – a meal for two runs $32 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $639 in Darkhan versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.