Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kanpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanpur: $346 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Kanpur, India
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Kanpur
🇮🇳 India
$346
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kanpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $346 in Kanpur.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Kanpur $346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $557 in Kanpur.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Kanpur $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $767 in Kanpur.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Kanpur $767

Living in Medellin is roughly 374% more expensive than in Kanpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kanpur is 75% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$2.12 ₹202
281.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$8.61 ₹818
446.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$3.22 ₹305
195.03%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$1.59 ₹151
89.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.32 ₹30.50
462.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.10 ₹9.06
1310.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$1.27 ₹121
150.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$2.70 ₹256
112.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$0.74 ₹70.5
104.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$0.48 ₹45.47
395.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$0.76 ₹72.2
132.89%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$0.84 ₹79.7
244.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$3.56 ₹338
186.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$2.48 ₹236
297.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.59 ₹151
149.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$0.60 ₹56.6
158.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$0.99 ₹93.7
120.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$0.50 ₹47.00
336.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$0.26 ₹24.71
653.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$0.39 ₹36.60
307.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$0.47 ₹45.08
144.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.28 ₹26.46
342.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$4.72 ₹448
-16.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$7.14 ₹678
91.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$1.56 ₹148
6.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$2.37 ₹225
-4.64%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.43 ₹610
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$0.43 ₹40.83
172.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$6.40 ₹607
1108.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$0.71 ₹67.4
78.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$0.28 ₹26.80
632.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$1.06 ₹101
706.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.10 ₹105
22.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$11.2K ₹1.1M
205.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$19.6K ₹1.9M
77.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$43.68 ₹4,148
288.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$3.22 ₹306
320.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$5.46 ₹518
414.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$13.56 ₹1,287
222.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$6.22 ₹590
176.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$3.11 ₹296
122.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$54.1 ₹5,137
1372.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,113 ₹580.4K
49.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$25.13 ₹2,386
237.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$28.41 ₹2,697
104.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$36.97 ₹3,511
265.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$15.70 ₹1,491
523.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$103 ₹9,751
1076.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$63.3 ₹6,011
913.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$292 ₹27.7K
595.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$180 ₹17.1K
462.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$932 ₹88.5K
347.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$594 ₹56.4K
221.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Kanpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$302 ₹28.7K
117.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
8.55
27.95%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kanpur: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Kanpur
$63 90.1% $578
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Kanpur
$93 68.6% $204
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Kanpur
$52 75.2% $159
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Kanpur
$59 65.1% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Kanpur
$48 71.7% $121
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Kanpur
$10 89.1% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Kanpur
$20 65.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $103 in Kanpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.2 times 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 $9 in Kanpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $93 per month, with Kanpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇳 Kanpur
🕒 Local time
05:42 5:42 AM
16:12 4:12 PM
10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
2,767,031
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Kanpur 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Kanpur

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 Kanpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kanpur cheaper than Medellin?
Kanpur is about 79% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Medellin or Kanpur?
Average pay in Medellin is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Kanpur?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $103 in Kanpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $54 in Kanpur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Kanpur?
Supermarket bills run roughly 218% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Kanpur?
At $346 in Kanpur versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kanpur but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kanpur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Kanpur?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kanpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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