Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Karaganda

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $926 in Karaganda, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Karaganda $926

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,492 in Karaganda, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Karaganda $1,492

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,058 in Karaganda, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Karaganda $2,058

Medellin costs about 74% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Karaganda is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$9.85 ₸4,452

-19.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$35.09 ₸15.9K

31.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.43 ₸2,453

74.95%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.92 ₸869

61.98%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.91 ₸413

101.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.64 ₸290

115.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.36 ₸617

124.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.80 ₸1,267

96.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.34 ₸605

8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.49 ₸222

381.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.32 ₸597

27.27%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.79 ₸808

59.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.12 ₸5,929

-22.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.40 ₸2,442

76.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.19 ₸5,060

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.49 ₸673

173.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.89 ₸856

-20.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.87 ₸1,299

-24.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.17 ₸979

6.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.67 ₸301

188.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.59 ₸267

177.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.03 ₸467

9.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.69 ₸310

81.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.25 ₸1,016

77.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.43 ₸3,813

58.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.35 ₸610

25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.12 ₸957

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.21 ₸94.9

476.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$15.75 ₸7,119

385.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.26 ₸568

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.20 ₸541

78.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.31 ₸1,496

155.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.56 ₸254

132.14%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$22.0K ₸10.0M

26.94%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$31.9K ₸14.4M

10.85%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$72.2 ₸32.7K

138.22%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$10.01 ₸4,523

33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$11.86 ₸5,360

142.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$46.00 ₸20.8K

-1.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$18.82 ₸8,505

-9.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.34 ₸2,416

17.60%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$135 ₸60.8K

472.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$58.9 ₸26.6K

46.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$57.8 ₸26.1K

-1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$79.1 ₸35.8K

72.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$85.6 ₸38.7K

14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$394 ₸178.2K

167.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$273 ₸123.2K

125.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$738 ₸333.5K

156.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$536 ₸242.3K

90.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,053 ₸476.1K

285.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$711 ₸321.5K

136.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$569 ₸257.3K

14.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

19.25

-43.17%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Karaganda

$273 29.5% 55.7% $343

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Karaganda

$215 23.2% 27% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 56.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 25.6% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Karaganda

$137 14.8% 18.8% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 74.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Karaganda

$57 6.1% 1.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $394 in Karaganda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $215 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

14:42 2:42 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

520,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Karaganda 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $926 in Karaganda – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,389 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 386% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $135 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $926 in Karaganda to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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