Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kolasin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolasin: $1,218 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Kolasin
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Kolasin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kolasin

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kolasin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,218 in Kolasin.

Medellin $1,692
Kolasin $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,902 in Kolasin.

Medellin $2,471
Kolasin $1,902

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,586 in Kolasin.

Medellin $3,249
Kolasin $2,586

Living in Medellin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Kolasin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Kolasin is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$5.54 €4.92

50.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$27.43 €24.37

69.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$9.08 €8.07

4.30%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.49 €1.32

110.07%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.81 €1.61

-2.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.14 €1.01

24.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.87 €2.55

9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.72 €2.42

109.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.14 €1.01

34.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.95 €0.84

141.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$2.85 €2.53

-31.93%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.11 €2.76

-1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.92 €7.92

12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$7.37 €6.54

41.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$12.73 €11.30

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.32 €1.18

206.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.55 €1.38

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.57 €1.39

33.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$3.02 €2.68

-24.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.94 €0.83

124.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.29 €1.15

32.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.46 €1.30

-19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.87 €0.77

81.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.98 €3.53

-1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$4.37 €3.88

221.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.23 €1.09

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.77 €1.57

53.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.70 €1.51

-30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$38.45 €34.16

98.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.15 €1.02

57.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.10 €0.98

93.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$17.03 €15.13

-52.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.69 €1.50

-24.26%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$31.8K €28.2K

8.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$21.6K €19.2K

57.98%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$89.3 €79.3

99.00%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$13.27 €11.79

4.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$28.14 €25.00

9.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$47.87 €42.52

-12.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$14.76 €13.11

13.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.67 €6.81

-2.61%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$441 €391

79.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,018 €6,234

75.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$85.1 €75.6

1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$33.59 €29.84

76.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$73.3 €65.1

88.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$94.5 €83.9

4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$659 €585

103.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$499 €443

33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,337 €1,188

47.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,012 €899

2.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$3,716 €3,301

10.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,357 €2,094

-17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$860 €764

-24.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kolasin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kolasin

$499 40.9% 25.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kolasin

$224 18.4% 27.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kolasin

$131 10.7% 41.2% $92

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kolasin

$121 9.9% 29.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kolasin

$129 10.6% 25.1% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kolasin

$52 4.3% 44.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kolasin

$63 5.2% 11.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $659 in Kolasin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolasin pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Kolasin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $224 per month, with Kolasin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇪 Kolasin

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,900

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kolasin 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kolasin

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 Kolasin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,218 in Kolasin, so Kolasin is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $659 in Kolasin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,218 in Kolasin – Kolasin is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kolasin runs roughly 50% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kolasin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Kolasin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.