Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $498 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $498 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Jalalabad $498

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $682 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Jalalabad $682

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $866 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Jalalabad $866

Medellin costs about 230% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Jalalabad is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.28 ؋148

254.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$7.83 ؋508

500.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.88 ؋252

144.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$0.76 ؋49.16

296.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.89 ؋57.6

69.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.40 ؋25.78

495.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.88 ؋122

-5.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.69 ؋110

71.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.49 ؋356

85.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.73 ؋177

261.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.03 ؋392

132.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.65 ؋42.24

510.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.60 ؋39.06

158.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.74 ؋48.14

194.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.47 ؋30.53

363.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.36 ؋23.57

444.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.29 ؋19.13

448.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.33 ؋21.12

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.30 ؋19.45

313.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.29 ؋149

72.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.15 ؋9.65

680.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$10.80 ؋701

616.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.74 ؋48.18

71.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.48 ؋30.87

327.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.51 ؋97.8

466.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.05 ؋68.3

28.57%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$8,330 ؋540.6K

308.98%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$22.69 ؋1,472

647.69%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$231 ؋15.0K

-87.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$7.84 ؋509

457.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$4.57 ؋296

276.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.55 ؋101

345.81%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$15.18 ؋985

5147.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,212 ؋78.7K

651.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$18.45 ؋1,197

359.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$15.17 ؋985

282.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$23.51 ؋1,526

474.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$30.62 ؋1,987

219.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$114 ؋7,424

955.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$45.97 ؋2,984

1295.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$232 ؋15.0K

775.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$122 ؋7,933

727.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$466 ؋30.3K

794.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$232 ؋15.1K

723.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$185 ؋12.0K

254.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.88

-21.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jalalabad

$46 9.2% 92.8% $596

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jalalabad

$94 18.9% 68.3% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jalalabad

$254 * 51% 20% $42

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8% 77% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 76.6% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jalalabad

$15 2.9% 84.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 81% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $114 in Jalalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $8 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $94 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

06:35 6:35 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

168,600

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jalalabad 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $498 in Jalalabad – Jalalabad comes out roughly 70% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $746 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 216% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Jalalabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Jalalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.