Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dharwad

For one person, living is cheaper in Dharwad: $372 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 Dharwad
Learn more

Dharwad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Dharwad

🇮🇳 India

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dharwad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $372 in Dharwad.

Medellin $1,639
Dharwad $372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $577 in Dharwad.

Medellin $2,413
Dharwad $577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $781 in Dharwad.

Medellin $3,186
Dharwad $781

Living in Medellin is roughly 340% more expensive than in Dharwad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dharwad is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.43 ₹325

135.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$7.45 ₹707

531.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.71 ₹352

156.06%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.59 ₹151

89.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.41 ₹38.66

339.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.14 ₹13.09

907.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.56 ₹148

103.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.01 ₹286

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.67 ₹63.8

125.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.46 ₹43.44

417.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.65 ₹61.3

172.31%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$0.85 ₹80.8

240.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.02 ₹382

153.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.88 ₹273

242.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.92 ₹182

106.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.67 ₹63.3

131.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.95 ₹90.2

129.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.45 ₹42.76

384.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.36 ₹33.84

444.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.37 ₹35.52

329.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.40 ₹38.37

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.29 ₹27.53

327.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.51 ₹523

-28.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.26 ₹594

118.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.59 ₹151

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.99 ₹284

-24.41%

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

$4.27 ₹405

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.23 ₹21.86

408.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$7.08 ₹672

992.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.86 ₹81.6

47.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.25 ₹24.21

720.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.62 ₹154

427.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.13 ₹107

19.47%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$12.1K ₹1.1M

181.76%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$21.7K ₹2.1M

60.14%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$34.58 ₹3,283

390.60%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$3.12 ₹297

334.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$5.82 ₹552

382.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$14.37 ₹1,364

204.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$5.67 ₹538

203.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.98 ₹283

131.88%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$46.87 ₹4,450

1599.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,442 ₹136.9K

531.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$19.92 ₹1,892

325.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$26.08 ₹2,476

122.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$37.85 ₹3,594

256.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$27.95 ₹2,654

250.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$121 ₹11.5K

900.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$77.8 ₹7,387

724.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$266 ₹25.2K

663.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$163 ₹15.4K

522.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$967 ₹91.8K

331.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$538 ₹51.1K

254.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.86

23.48%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dharwad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Dharwad

$78 20.9% 87.9% $564

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Dharwad

$97 26% 67.4% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Dharwad

$44 11.7% 79.4% $168

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Dharwad

$74 19.8% 56.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Dharwad

$50 13.5% 70.2% $119

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Dharwad

$10 2.7% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Dharwad

$20 5.5% 64.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $121 in Dharwad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $7 in Dharwad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $97 per month, with Dharwad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Dharwad

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

02:08 2:08 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

100,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Dharwad 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dharwad

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 Dharwad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $372 in Dharwad, so Dharwad is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $559 in Dharwad 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $121 in Dharwad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $372 in Dharwad – Dharwad is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dharwad runs roughly 91% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $372 in Dharwad versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dharwad but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dharwad 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.

Expats usually find Dharwad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.