Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guwahati

For one person, living is cheaper in Guwahati: $397 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Guwahati, India
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Guwahati
🇮🇳 India
$397
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guwahati

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $397 in Guwahati, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Guwahati $397

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $664 in Guwahati, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Guwahati $664

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $931 in Guwahati, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Guwahati $931

Medellin costs about 313% more than Guwahati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Guwahati is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$2.83 ₹269
185.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$11.50 ₹1,095
309.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$5.21 ₹496
82.34%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$2.45 ₹233
22.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$0.40 ₹38.45
350.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.15 ₹14.14
840.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$1.29 ₹123
146.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$3.36 ₹320
71.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$0.67 ₹63.9
125.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$0.46 ₹43.88
417.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$0.54 ₹51.7
227.78%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$0.93 ₹88.8
210.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$4.07 ₹387
150.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$3.30 ₹314
199.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$2.28 ₹217
74.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$0.70 ₹66.9
121.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$0.90 ₹85.3
142.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$0.61 ₹58.3
257.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.35 ₹33.63
460.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.35 ₹33.28
354.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$0.33 ₹31.43
248.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.29 ₹27.81
327.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$5.11 ₹486
-22.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$7.23 ₹689
89.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.72 ₹164
-3.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.45 ₹233
-7.76%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.96 ₹472
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$0.20 ₹19.04
485.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$5.15 ₹490
1402.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$0.73 ₹69.5
73.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.30 ₹28.79
583.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$1.33 ₹127
542.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.10 ₹105
22.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$11.3K ₹1.1M
202.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$16.4K ₹1.6M
111.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$34.80 ₹3,314
387.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$3.33 ₹317
306.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$6.43 ₹612
336.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$12.01 ₹1,144
263.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$10.02 ₹954
71.56%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$3.21 ₹306
115.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$27.18 ₹2,588
2830.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$2,201 ₹209.6K
313.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$16.96 ₹1,615
399.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$30.82 ₹2,935
88.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$37.87 ₹3,606
256.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$27.59 ₹2,627
254.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$154 ₹14.6K
686.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$89.4 ₹8,508
618.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$359 ₹34.2K
464.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$263 ₹25.1K
284.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$742 ₹70.7K
461.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$519 ₹49.4K
267.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Guwahati
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$336 ₹32.0K
95.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
7.38
48.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guwahati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Guwahati
$89 86.1% $552
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Guwahati
$103 65.4% $194
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Guwahati
$45 78.9% $167
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Guwahati
$83 51% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Guwahati
$51 69.8% $118
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Guwahati
$8.2 91.2% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Guwahati
$18 68% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $154 in Guwahati. 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 96% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $12 in Guwahati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $103 – making Guwahati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇳 Guwahati
🕒 Local time
16:36 4:36 PM
03:06 3:06 AM
10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,000,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Guwahati 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Guwahati

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 Guwahati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guwahati cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 313%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $596 in Guwahati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guwahati, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $154 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 93% less in Guwahati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $27 in Guwahati. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Guwahati?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guwahati, where all-in costs run around $397, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Guwahati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Guwahati more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Guwahati – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Guwahati. If higher salaries 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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