Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kish

For one person, living is cheaper in Kish: $556 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Kish
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Kish Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kish

🇮🇷 Iran

$556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kish

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $556 in Kish.

Medellin $1,639
Kish $556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $874 in Kish.

Medellin $2,413
Kish $874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,193 in Kish.

Medellin $3,186
Kish $1,193

Living in Medellin is roughly 195% more expensive than in Kish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kish is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.57 $5.57

45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$15.80 $15.80

197.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.61 $4.61

106.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.03 $1.03

192.23%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.50 $0.50

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.98 $0.98

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.64 $0.64

135.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.47 $0.47

406.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.09 $2.09

-15.31%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.22 $1.22

136.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.18 $4.18

143.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.41 $3.41

189.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.56 $11.56

21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.94 $0.94

322.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.49 $1.49

4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.75 $0.75

190.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.64 $0.64

240.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.59 $0.59

232.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.49 $0.49

224.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.59 $0.59

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.21 $0.21

490.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.72 $0.72

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.68 $2.68

47.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.16 $0.16

631.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$9.47 $9.47

717.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.40 $0.40

217.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.32 $0.32

540.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.68 $2.68

219.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.09 $0.09

1400.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$51.9K $51.9K

-34.36%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.6K $39.6K

-12.52%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$11.21 $11.21

1413.38%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$1.79 $1.79

656.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$3.63 $3.63

673.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$19.75 $19.75

121.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$13.18 $13.18

30.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.01 $2.01

243.78%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$121 $121

556.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,576 $2,576

253.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$22.56 $22.56

275.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$28.77 $28.77

101.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$92.4 $92.4

46.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$74.9 $74.9

30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$289 $289

318.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$212 $212

202.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$808 $808

150.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$349 $349

189.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,302 $1,302

220.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$548 $548

248.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$411 $411

59.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.3

-54.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kish: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kish

$212 38.2% 66.9% $429

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kish

$116 20.9% 60.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kish

$17 3% 92.1% $195

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kish

$77 13.8% 54.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kish

$98 17.7% 41.8% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kish

$12 2.2% 87% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kish

$24 4.3% 58.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $289 in Kish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 60% 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 $16 in Kish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $116 per month, with Kish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Kish

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

24,819

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Kish 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kish

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 Kish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $556 in Kish, so Kish is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Medellin, 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 $289 in Kish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 156% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kish – a meal for two runs $16 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $556 in Kish versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kish but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kish 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 Kish gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.