Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $376 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.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $376 in Erdenet.

Medellin $1,639
Erdenet $376

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $621 in Erdenet.

Medellin $2,413
Erdenet $621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $866 in Erdenet.

Medellin $3,186
Erdenet $866

Living in Medellin is roughly 336% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Erdenet is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.20 MNT 15.1K

92.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.73 MNT 99.7K

69.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.10 MNT 14.7K

131.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.27 MNT 8,168

32.60%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.61 MNT 2,181

195.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.44 MNT 1,579

220.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.64 MNT 5,878

93.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.65 MNT 5,941

248.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.03 MNT 3,697

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.91 MNT 3,262

161.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.75 MNT 9,888

-35.64%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.04 MNT 7,336

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.07 MNT 25.4K

44.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.06 MNT 25.4K

39.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$4.35 MNT 15.6K

221.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.25 MNT 8,083

76.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.66 MNT 5,954

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.64 MNT 5,886

32.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.36 MNT 4,878

60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.43 MNT 5,128

37.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.80 MNT 2,865

98.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.37 MNT 4,920

-16.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.92 MNT 3,322

34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

39.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

152.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.71 MNT 6,152

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.68 MNT 6,039

34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.15 MNT 537

680.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$19.42 MNT 69.8K

298.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.66 MNT 2,373

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.44 MNT 1,564

365.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.76 MNT 2,733

77.63%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$59.5 MNT 213.7K

185.27%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$2.72 MNT 9,788

398.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$14.04 MNT 50.5K

99.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$276 MNT 993.1K

188.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,461 MNT 8.8M

270.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$227 MNT 814.4K

189.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Erdenet

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Erdenet

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Erdenet

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Erdenet

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Erdenet

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Erdenet

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Erdenet

–

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 2.9 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $28 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

01:33 1:33 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

86,866

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,011 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Erdenet 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $376 in Erdenet, so Erdenet is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $276 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $376 in Erdenet versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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.

It comes down to priorities – Erdenet wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.