Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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 Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $504 in Kabul.

Medellin $1,639
Kabul $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $683 in Kabul.

Medellin $2,413
Kabul $683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $862 in Kabul.

Medellin $3,186
Kabul $862

Living in Medellin is roughly 225% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kabul is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.70 ؋175

199.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$7.75 ؋503

507.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.68 ؋304

102.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.12 ؋72.4

168.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.48 ؋31.18

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.13 ؋8.66

984.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.82 ؋53.3

84.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.25 ؋16.29

852.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.79 ؋116

-1.12%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.57 ؋102

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.39 ؋285

132.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.89 ؋252

153.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.68 ؋433

109.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.68 ؋44.38

483.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.84 ؋54.7

84.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.94 ؋61.2

131.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.55 ؋35.86

296.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.61 ؋39.30

221.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.48 ؋30.93

231.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.30 ؋19.60

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.39 ؋25.51

217.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.43 ؋158

62.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.16 ؋10.13

631.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$20.62 ؋1,338

275.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.04 ؋132

-37.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.48 ؋31.22

327.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.75 ؋178

210.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.08 ؋70.1

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$8,581 ؋556.9K

297.01%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.9K ؋2.2M

2.18%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$42.52 ؋2,760

298.99%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$13.17 ؋855

2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$95.5 ؋6,198

-70.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$11.01 ؋714

296.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$4.01 ؋260

328.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.29 ؋149

201.75%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$19.86 ؋1,289

3911.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,052 ؋68.2K

766.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$10.53 ؋684

704.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$16.26 ؋1,055

256.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$58.5 ؋3,796

130.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$24.87 ؋1,614

293.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$122 ؋7,930

888.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$110 ؋7,169

480.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$220 ؋14.3K

820.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$114 ؋7,430

783.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$669 ؋43.4K

522.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$355 ؋23.0K

438.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$339 ؋22.0K

93.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 82.8% $531

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 66.2% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kabul

$151 30% 28.4% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 69.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 70.7% $119

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 72.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 72.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $122 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 94% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 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 Kabul 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $504 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 73% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $19.86 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.