Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Karachi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $495 in Karachi.

Medellin $1,639
Karachi $495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $770 in Karachi.

Medellin $2,413
Karachi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,046 in Karachi.

Medellin $3,186
Karachi $1,046

Living in Medellin is roughly 231% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Karachi is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.21 PKR 610

266.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$12.87 PKR 3,562

265.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.27 PKR 1,459

80.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.16 PKR 598

39.35%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.38 PKR 106

373.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.25 PKR 69.3

464.00%

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

$0.90 PKR 248

67.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.52 PKR 143

357.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.20 PKR 331

47.50%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.25 PKR 346

131.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.82 PKR 1,611

75.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.11 PKR 860

217.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.53 PKR 1,807

114.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.28 PKR 354

210.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.54 PKR 149

187.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.02 PKR 283

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.56 PKR 155

289.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.34 PKR 94.9

476.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.31 PKR 87.0

412.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.41 PKR 113

180.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.43 PKR 120

188.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.78 PKR 492

122.47%

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

$0.28 PKR 77.1

317.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$11.70 PKR 3,237

561.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.92 PKR 254

38.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.73 PKR 203

180.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.22 PKR 615

285.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.33 PKR 369

1.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

86.59%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

31.42%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$112 PKR 31.0K

51.24%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$5.99 PKR 1,656

126.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$13.18 PKR 3,648

112.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.67 PKR 6,825

77.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$18.29 PKR 5,061

-6.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.34 PKR 1,201

59.22%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

1085.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,915 PKR 529.8K

375.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$17.61 PKR 4,873

381.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$22.03 PKR 6,096

163.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

97.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

140.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$136 PKR 37.6K

787.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

680.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$392 PKR 108.5K

417.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$207 PKR 57.2K

389.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

298.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$482 PKR 133.2K

296.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$184 PKR 51.0K

256.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.21

-17.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 87.2% $559

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 65.8% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 37.8% $80

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 63.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 60.4% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 81.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 42% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $13 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

05:07 5:07 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Karachi 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $495 in Karachi, so Karachi is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.6 times higher, 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 $136 in Karachi. 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 $495 in Karachi – Karachi is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 85% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $495 in Karachi versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi 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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.