Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kholmsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kholmsk: $1,073 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kholmsk
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Kholmsk Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kholmsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kholmsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,073 in Kholmsk.

Medellin $1,639
Kholmsk $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,672 in Kholmsk.

Medellin $2,413
Kholmsk $1,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,271 in Kholmsk.

Medellin $3,186
Kholmsk $2,271

Living in Medellin is roughly 53% more expensive than in Kholmsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kholmsk is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$11.32 ₽913

-28.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$37.66 ₽3,037

24.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.24 ₽503

52.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.85 ₽230

5.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.10 ₽89.0

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.59 ₽47.53

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.77 ₽143

79.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.95 ₽238

94.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.12 ₽90.7

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.74 ₽60.0

221.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.37 ₽111

29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.63 ₽132

77.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.48 ₽926

-11.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.25 ₽423

88.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.56 ₽933

21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.72 ₽138

130.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.77 ₽143

-12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.77 ₽143

23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.78 ₽224

-21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.84 ₽68.1

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.58 ₽46.67

174.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.30 ₽105

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.77 ₽61.7

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.05 ₽246

29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.82 ₽631

74.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.07 ₽86.5

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.06 ₽166

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.56 ₽45.31

108.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$25.46 ₽2,053

203.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.44 ₽197

-47.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.35 ₽28.14

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.74 ₽463

48.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.80 ₽64.6

68.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$52.1K ₽4.2M

-34.56%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$40.2K ₽3.2M

-13.67%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$121 ₽9,737

40.52%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.40 ₽516

111.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$8.31 ₽670

237.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$35.44 ₽2,858

23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$24.21 ₽1,953

-29.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.25 ₽504

10.56%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$349 ₽28.1K

128.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,381 ₽514.6K

42.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$81.3 ₽6,553

4.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$52.3 ₽4,216

10.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$120 ₽9,681

12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$104 ₽8,347

-5.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$475 ₽38.3K

154.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$323 ₽26.0K

98.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$906 ₽73.0K

123.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$574 ₽46.3K

76.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,280 ₽183.9K

82.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,469 ₽118.5K

30.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.45

-49.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kholmsk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kholmsk

$323 30.1% 49.7% $319

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kholmsk

$209 19.5% 29.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kholmsk

$135 12.6% 35.9% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kholmsk

$165 15.4% 2.7% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kholmsk

$161 15% 4.9% $8.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kholmsk

$32 3% 65.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kholmsk

$48 4.5% 16.7% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $475 in Kholmsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Kholmsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $209 per month, with Kholmsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Kholmsk

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

10:46 10:46 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,954

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kholmsk 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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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 Kholmsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kholmsk wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kholmsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,610 in Kholmsk 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 $475 in Kholmsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kholmsk runs roughly 67% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $349 in Kholmsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kholmsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Kholmsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.