Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Faisalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Faisalabad: $398 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Faisalabad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$398
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Faisalabad

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $398 in Faisalabad, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Faisalabad $398

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $620 in Faisalabad, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Faisalabad $620

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $841 in Faisalabad, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Faisalabad $841

Medellin costs about 305% more than Faisalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Faisalabad is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$1.85 PKR 511
328.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$10.80 PKR 2,989
327.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$5.29 PKR 1,465
79.58%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.46 PKR 680
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.19 PKR 605
-
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$1.52 PKR 420
104.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$0.43 PKR 120
325.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$0.30 PKR 81.7
360.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$0.81 PKR 225
79.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$0.65 PKR 179
263.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$1.26 PKR 349
33.33%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$1.25 PKR 346
128.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$8.53 PKR 2,362
19.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$2.59 PKR 716
267.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$3.96 PKR 1,096
254.55%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$1.10 PKR 304
270.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$0.65 PKR 181
130.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$0.58 PKR 159
274.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$0.59 PKR 164
291.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$0.30 PKR 83.6
543.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$0.47 PKR 130
248.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$0.62 PKR 172
82.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$0.44 PKR 122
184.09%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.55 PKR 152
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.52 PKR 143
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.70 PKR 194
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$1.40 PKR 389
185.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
$7.08 PKR 1,958
980.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$1.05 PKR 292
25.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$1.06 PKR 295
101.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$2.84 PKR 785
198.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$1.17 PKR 324
11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$23.8K PKR 6.6M
17.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$23.2K PKR 6.4M
52.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$68.6 PKR 19.0K
151.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$7.88 PKR 2,181
69.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$11.57 PKR 3,203
148.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$14.39 PKR 3,982
214.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
$17.78 PKR 4,920
-4.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$7.17 PKR 1,983
-12.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$26.99 PKR 7,470
2753.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$2,046 PKR 566.4K
340.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$19.01 PKR 5,263
354.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$26.58 PKR 7,358
114.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$53.6 PKR 14.8K
154.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$30.28 PKR 8,380
223.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$110 PKR 30.3K
862.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$58.8 PKR 16.3K
947.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$217 PKR 60.0K
773.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$121 PKR 33.5K
745.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$543 PKR 150.4K
646.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$251 PKR 69.3K
569.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Faisalabad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$166 PKR 46.0K
292.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
11.83
-7.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Faisalabad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Faisalabad
$59 90.5% $557
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Faisalabad
$99 66.3% $195
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Faisalabad
$88 58.9% $126
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Faisalabad
$58 65.8% $112
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Faisalabad
$52 69.2% $117
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Faisalabad
$13 * 85.6% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Faisalabad
$29 50.3% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $110 in Faisalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 292% higher in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $11.00 in Faisalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $99.0 – making Faisalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇰 Faisalabad
🕒 Local time
21:51 9:51 PM
07:51 7:51 AM
10 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
3,203,846
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Faisalabad 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Faisalabad

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 Faisalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Faisalabad?
Medellin costs about 305% more than Faisalabad, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Faisalabad?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $598 in Faisalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Faisalabad?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Faisalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Faisalabad?
Groceries cost about 196% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Faisalabad?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $11.00 in Faisalabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Faisalabad?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Faisalabad, where all-in costs run around $398, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Faisalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Medellin or Faisalabad?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Faisalabad costs $398 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Medellin or to Faisalabad?
If budget matters most, go with Faisalabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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