Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ishim

For one person, living is cheaper in Ishim: $1,031 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Ishim
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Ishim Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ishim

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ishim

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,031 in Ishim, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ishim $1,031

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,593 in Ishim, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ishim $1,593

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,156 in Ishim, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ishim $2,156

Medellin costs about 59% more than Ishim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ishim is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.32 ₽592

10.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$36.06 ₽2,917

30.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.80 ₽389

97.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.82 ₽228

6.74%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$1.55 ₽125

16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.75 ₽61.0

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.15 ₽174

47.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.06 ₽247

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.11 ₽89.9

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$0.88 ₽71.2

170.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$1.18 ₽95.6

50.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$1.35 ₽109

114.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.02 ₽730

12.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.23 ₽423

88.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.60 ₽857

31.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.86 ₽150

113.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.79 ₽145

-13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.78 ₽144

22.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.84 ₽149

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$0.44 ₽35.34

345.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.28 ₽22.59

467.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.36 ₽110

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.84 ₽67.9

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.04 ₽246

30.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.86 ₽960

15.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.07 ₽86.3

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$1.97 ₽159

14.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.52 ₽42.03

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$25.14 ₽2,033

207.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$2.38 ₽193

-46.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$0.37 ₽30.22

454.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.83 ₽472

46.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.86 ₽69.5

56.98%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$52.1K ₽4.2M

-34.57%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$40.4K ₽3.3M

-14.18%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$123 ₽9,926

38.26%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$6.18 ₽500

119.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$8.67 ₽701

223.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$35.75 ₽2,892

22.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$24.20 ₽1,958

-28.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.18 ₽581

-3.76%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$346 ₽28.0K

130.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,297 ₽509.4K

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$80.0 ₽6,473

5.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$52.7 ₽4,263

9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$120 ₽9,747

12.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$103 ₽8,320

-4.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$466 ₽37.7K

159.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$317 ₽25.6K

102.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$910 ₽73.6K

122.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$563 ₽45.5K

79.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,288 ₽185.1K

82.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,510 ₽122.2K

26.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

25.7

-57.43%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ishim: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ishim

$317 30.7% 50.6% $325

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ishim

$202 19.6% 32.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ishim

$138 13.4% 34.9% $74

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ishim

$133 12.9% 21.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ishim

$160 15.5% 5.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ishim

$31 3.1% 66.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ishim

$50 4.9% 12.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $466 in Ishim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $36 in Ishim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $202 – making Ishim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Ishim

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

64,010

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.1 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 80.89 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.1 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ishim 12,380 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ishim

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 Ishim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,546 in Ishim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ishim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $466 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $36 in Ishim. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,031 in Ishim. That makes Ishim about 37% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ishim, where all-in costs run around $1,031, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ishim it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ishim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Ishim is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.