Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Izmir

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,212 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Izmir

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,212 in Izmir.

Medellin $1,639
Izmir $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,898 in Izmir.

Medellin $2,413
Izmir $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,584 in Izmir.

Medellin $3,186
Izmir $2,584

Living in Medellin is roughly 35% more expensive than in Izmir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Izmir is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$9.89 ₺493

-18.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$35.55 ₺1,772

32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.41 ₺419

12.96%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.64 ₺181

-17.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.46 ₺72.7

23.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.58 ₺28.86

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.44 ₺172

-7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.00 ₺249

15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.08 ₺53.9

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.05 ₺52.6

126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.38 ₺119

-25.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.46 ₺123

17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.31 ₺464

9.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.10 ₺254

93.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$21.03 ₺1,048

-33.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.95 ₺97.4

103.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.18 ₺108

-28.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.06 ₺52.7

105.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.36 ₺67.9

60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.59 ₺29.55

232.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.40 ₺20.08

297.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.09 ₺54.6

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.73 ₺36.52

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.22 ₺111

78.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.15 ₺556

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.06 ₺103

-19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.99 ₺149

-24.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.68 ₺34.06

72.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$43.12 ₺2,149

79.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.52 ₺175

-63.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.02 ₺50.9

100.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.52 ₺275

54.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.35 ₺67.2

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$46.6K ₺2.3M

-26.88%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$43.7K ₺2.2M

-20.65%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$82.4 ₺4,104

106.01%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$10.53 ₺525

28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$15.87 ₺791

76.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$64.2 ₺3,197

-31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$34.55 ₺1,722

-50.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.25 ₺411

-16.24%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$683 ₺34.1K

16.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$14.5K ₺720.2K

-36.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$45.34 ₺2,260

86.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$37.24 ₺1,856

55.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$92.0 ₺4,584

46.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$79.8 ₺3,978

22.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$587 ₺29.2K

105.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$424 ₺21.1K

51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,122 ₺55.9K

80.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$793 ₺39.5K

27.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,444 ₺72.0K

188.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$999 ₺49.8K

91.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,134 ₺56.5K

-42.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

42.33

-74.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Izmir

$424 35% 33.8% $217

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Izmir

$245 20.3% 17.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Izmir

$109 9% 48.5% $103

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Izmir

$183 15.1% 8.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Izmir

$114 9.5% 32.3% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Izmir

$54 4.5% 41.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Izmir

$81 6.7% 40.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $587 in Izmir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Izmir pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $36 in Izmir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $245 per month, with Izmir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇷 Izmir

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

16:19 4:19 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,493,242

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Izmir 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Izmir

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 Izmir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Izmir wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Izmir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $587 in Izmir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,212 in Izmir – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Izmir runs roughly 44% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Izmir is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Izmir delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,212 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Izmir hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Izmir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.