Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Iskele

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,042 in Iskele, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
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Iskele Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Iskele

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,042 in Iskele.

Medellin $1,639
Iskele $2,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,141 in Iskele.

Medellin $2,413
Iskele $3,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,240 in Iskele.

Medellin $3,186
Iskele $4,240

Living in Medellin costs roughly 20% less than in Iskele, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Iskele 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.3K

$22.76 €20.41

-64.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 147.2K

$77.7 €69.7

-39.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.7K

$9.45 €8.47

0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,433

$3.96 €3.56

-23.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,629

$1.89 €1.70

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,419

$1.21 €1.08

16.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,935

$5.47 €4.90

-41.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.0K

$5.73 €5.14

0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,724

$1.92 €1.72

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,439

$2.47 €2.22

-3.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,542

$3.03 €2.72

-41.58%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,043

$4.59 €4.12

-37.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 31.9K

$13.31 €11.94

-23.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 30.9K

$9.77 €8.76

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 43.8K

$13.90 €12.47

0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.4K

$3.51 €3.15

13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,856

$2.33 €2.09

-33.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,829

$2.97 €2.66

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,832

$3.85 €3.45

-43.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,140

$2.08 €1.87

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 4,973

$1.55 €1.39

2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,584

$1.25 €1.12

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,889

$1.11 €0.99

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.4K

$6.55 €5.87

-39.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 42.8K

$9.16 €8.22

49.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,193

$1.84 €1.65

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,064

$2.90 €2.60

-22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,654

$2.28 €2.05

-48.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 242.1K

$50.3 €45.13

53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,967

$10.19 €9.14

-87.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,406

$2.21 €1.98

-7.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.8K

$21.96 €19.70

-61.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,214

$1.80 €1.61

-25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 106.6M

$31.0K €27.8K

9.91%

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

$34.7K COP 108.5M

$31.6K €28.4K

9.70%

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

$170 COP 530.8K

$236 €212

-28.05%

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

$13.55 COP 42.4K

$20.55 €18.43

-34.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 87.8K

$31.94 €28.65

-12.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 136.7K

$68.3 €61.2

-35.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 53.8K

$25.12 €22.53

-31.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.6K

$13.34 €11.96

-48.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$677 €608

17.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.5M

$10.3K €9,269

-11.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 265.0K

$98.2 €88.1

-13.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 181.3K

$52.0 €46.61

11.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 422.2K

$109 €98.0

23.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 306.2K

$114 €102

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,061 €951

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$773 €693

-17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.3M

$1,839 €1,650

10.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,384 €1,241

-26.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.0M

$2,912 €2,612

43.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,196 €1,970

-13.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$933 €837

-29.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.93

178.37%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iskele: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Iskele

$773 37.9% 20.5% $132

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Iskele

$328 16.1% 10.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Iskele

$288 14.1% 36.5% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Iskele

$309 15.1% 82.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Iskele

$168 8.2% 0.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Iskele

$81 4% 13.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Iskele

$95 4.7% 65% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,061 in Iskele. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $78 in Iskele for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $328 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇾 Iskele

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,490

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.2 USD

10,000 COP = 2.87 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 3,129 COP (10,000 COP = 3.2 USD). 1 EUR = 3,488 COP (10,000 COP = 2.87 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Iskele 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Iskele

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 Iskele: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Iskele. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,061 in Iskele. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $677 in Iskele. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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