Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Karakol

For one person, living is cheaper in Karakol: $440 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Karakol

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Karakol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $440 in Karakol.

Medellin $1,639
Karakol $440

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $651 in Karakol.

Medellin $2,413
Karakol $651

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

Medellin $3,186
Karakol $862

Living in Medellin is roughly 272% more expensive than in Karakol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Karakol is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.35 KGS 205

244.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$9.30 KGS 813

405.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.77 KGS 155

70.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.59 KGS 51.8

205.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.30 KGS 26.52

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.12 KGS 97.6

183.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.76 KGS 154

226.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.77 KGS 67.6

96.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.22 KGS 19.21

981.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.33 KGS 116

33.08%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.63 KGS 143

77.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.69 KGS 585

52.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.07 KGS 356

142.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.71 KGS 499

145.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.83 KGS 72.4

378.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.40 KGS 122

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.12 KGS 98.4

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.54 KGS 47.55

262.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.35 KGS 30.67

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.56 KGS 48.74

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.73 KGS 151

128.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.18 KGS 453

164.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.12 KGS 98.2

48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.27 KGS 199

-0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.19 KGS 16.64

515.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.25 KGS 110

1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.09 KGS 95.8

23.85%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$39.39 KGS 3,445

330.69%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$4.22 KGS 369

221.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$9.67 KGS 846

190.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$15.73 KGS 1,376

177.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$91.8 KGS 8,029

767.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$34.78 KGS 3,042

181.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$226 KGS 19.7K

435.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$173 KGS 15.2K

270.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$291 KGS 25.5K

595.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$291 KGS 25.4K

247.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Karakol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Karakol

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Karakol

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Karakol

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Karakol

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Karakol

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Karakol

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Karakol

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $226 in Karakol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $9 in Karakol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $128 per month, with Karakol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇬 Karakol

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,400

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, 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).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Karakol 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Karakol

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 Karakol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $440 in Karakol, so Karakol is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $661 in Karakol to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $226 in Karakol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $440 in Karakol – Karakol is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $440 in Karakol versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karakol but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Karakol 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.