Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $488 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kathmandu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $488 in Kathmandu.

Medellin $1,639
Kathmandu $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $783 in Kathmandu.

Medellin $2,413
Kathmandu $783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,077 in Kathmandu.

Medellin $3,186
Kathmandu $1,077

Living in Medellin is roughly 236% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.92 NPR 291

321.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$20.72 NPR 3,146

127.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.02 NPR 1,065

35.33%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.56 NPR 236

92.95%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.51 NPR 78.2

252.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.14 NPR 20.87

907.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.11 NPR 472

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.32 NPR 504

73.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.77 NPR 117

96.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.62 NPR 93.9

283.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.92 NPR 139

92.39%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.74 NPR 264

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.51 NPR 1,141

35.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.10 NPR 471

218.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.99 NPR 909

133.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.08 NPR 316

90.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.19 NPR 181

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.44 NPR 219

51.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.59 NPR 89.3

269.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.39 NPR 58.8

402.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.54 NPR 81.8

194.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.49 NPR 74.9

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.22 NPR 33.20

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.46 NPR 373

60.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.97 NPR 1,209

71.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.30 NPR 349

-27.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.02 NPR 458

-25.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.17 NPR 26.26

588.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$9.75 NPR 1,481

693.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.79 NPR 272

-29.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.16 NPR 176

76.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.33 NPR 505

156.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.39 NPR 210

-2.88%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

-4.59%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.9K NPR 5.4M

-3.37%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$31.31 NPR 4,753

441.84%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$3.58 NPR 544

278.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$9.30 NPR 1,411

201.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$24.50 NPR 3,720

78.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$6.97 NPR 1,059

146.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.94 NPR 446

135.03%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$66.9 NPR 10.1K

1091.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,521 NPR 838.1K

65.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$23.85 NPR 3,621

255.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$26.77 NPR 4,064

116.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$62.6 NPR 9,510

115.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$29.36 NPR 4,458

233.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$217 NPR 32.9K

457.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$104 NPR 15.8K

514.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$432 NPR 65.5K

369.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$200 NPR 30.4K

405.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,336 NPR 354.6K

78.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,330 NPR 201.9K

43.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$268 NPR 40.6K

145.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.98

9.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kathmandu

$104 21.4% 83.7% $537

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kathmandu

$147 30.2% 50.5% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kathmandu

$44 9.1% 79.1% $167

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kathmandu

$80 16.4% 52.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kathmandu

$64 13.2% 62% $105

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kathmandu

$18 3.7% 80.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kathmandu

$30 6.2% 47.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $217 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.5 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 $21 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $147 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

10 h 45 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 169 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kathmandu 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.5 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 $217 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $21 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $488 in Kathmandu – Kathmandu is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $488 in Kathmandu versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu 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.