Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,013 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,013 in Irkutsk.

Medellin $1,589
Irkutsk $1,013

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $1,501 in Irkutsk.

Medellin $2,364
Irkutsk $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $1,988 in Irkutsk.

Medellin $3,139
Irkutsk $1,988

Living in Medellin is roughly 57% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Irkutsk is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$7.18 ₽611

11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$32.58 ₽2,772

42.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.81 ₽494

62.31%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.03 ₽258

-3.96%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.60 ₽136

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.65 ₽55.1

103.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$2.69 ₽229

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$4.04 ₽344

37.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.20 ₽102

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$0.64 ₽54.5

281.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.22 ₽189

-26.58%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.59 ₽135

77.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$11.69 ₽995

-17.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$6.04 ₽514

54.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$11.24 ₽956

19.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.89 ₽161

111.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.99 ₽169

-25.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.75 ₽149

21.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$3.47 ₽295

-35.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$0.72 ₽61.4

165.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$0.69 ₽58.6

134.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.79 ₽152

-35.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.65 ₽55.6

93.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$2.70 ₽230

41.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$7.17 ₽610

82.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.02 ₽86.7

56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$1.90 ₽162

18.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.57 ₽48.62

105.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$15.79 ₽1,344

375.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.19 ₽102

6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.18 ₽14.94

1038.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$8.91 ₽758

-7.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.79 ₽66.8

60.76%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$29.0K ₽2.5M

-7.69%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$36.8K ₽3.1M

-6.53%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$118 ₽10.0K

37.92%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$5.84 ₽497

124.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$11.41 ₽971

146.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$34.35 ₽2,923

29.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$21.13 ₽1,798

-22.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$6.64 ₽565

-8.28%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$294 ₽25.0K

160.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$3,121 ₽265.6K

185.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$58.7 ₽4,992

44.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$23.42 ₽1,993

145.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$100 ₽8,516

31.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$113 ₽9,642

-15.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$438 ₽37.2K

134.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$309 ₽26.3K

95.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$750 ₽63.8K

140.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$432 ₽36.8K

129.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,712 ₽230.8K

44.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,807 ₽153.7K

-9.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$752 ₽64.0K

-16.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.57

-55.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Irkutsk

$309 30.7% 48.8% $295

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Irkutsk

$220 21.9% 23.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Irkutsk

$135 13.4% 33.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Irkutsk

$133 13.2% 20.1% $34

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Irkutsk

$142 14.1% 14.7% $25

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Irkutsk

$20 2% 77.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Irkutsk

$48 4.7% 15.7% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $438 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Irkutsk pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $33.00 in Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $220 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

14:21 2:21 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

617,515

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Irkutsk 13,500 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Irkutsk

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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Irkutsk. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $438 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $294 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,013 in Irkutsk versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Irkutsk delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,013 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Irkutsk hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.