Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kollam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
Learn more

Kollam Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kollam

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $284 in Kollam, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kollam $284

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $446 in Kollam, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kollam $446

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $609 in Kollam, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kollam $609

Medellin costs about 478% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kollam is 79% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.03 ₹97.5

685.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$6.14 ₹583

666.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.23 ₹307

194.12%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.37 ₹130

119.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.34 ₹31.99

429.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.12 ₹11.54

1075.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.33 ₹126

139.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.86 ₹177

209.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.60 ₹57.4

151.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.48 ₹45.65

395.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.51 ₹47.98

247.06%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$0.78 ₹74.1

270.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$3.59 ₹341

183.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.13 ₹203

363.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.57 ₹149

152.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.59 ₹56.2

162.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.70 ₹66.1

211.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.41 ₹38.63

431.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.35 ₹32.95

460.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.35 ₹33.54

354.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.61 ₹57.8

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.27 ₹25.68

359.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.17 ₹491

-23.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$2.70 ₹256

406.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.05 ₹195

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.72 ₹258

-16.91%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.35 ₹318

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.17 ₹15.88

588.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$7.20 ₹684

974.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.81 ₹76.8

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.33 ₹31.56

521.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.05 ₹195

317.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.11 ₹106

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$9,035 ₹857.8K

277.07%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$16.6K ₹1.6M

108.83%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$32.12 ₹3,050

428.18%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$2.97 ₹282

356.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$5.04 ₹479

456.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$13.44 ₹1,276

225.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$10.44 ₹991

64.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.54 ₹146

348.70%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$21.19 ₹2,012

3659.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,630 ₹249.7K

246.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$16.30 ₹1,548

419.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$23.34 ₹2,216

148.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$25.49 ₹2,420

429.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$24.42 ₹2,319

300.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$82.2 ₹7,801

1370.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$47.79 ₹4,538

1242.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$182 ₹17.3K

1013.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$115 ₹10.9K

780.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$834 ₹79.2K

399.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$449 ₹42.6K

325.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$525 ₹49.9K

25.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.13

19.82%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kollam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kollam

$48 16.8% 92.6% $594

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kollam

$82 28.9% 72.3% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kollam

$40 14.1% 81% $171

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kollam

$47 16.4% 72.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kollam

$40 14.2% 76.2% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kollam

$10 3.6% 88.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kollam

$17 5.8% 71.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $82 in Kollam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $6 in Kollam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $82 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Kollam

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

08:06 8:06 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

367,107

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kollam 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kollam

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 Kollam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 478% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $426 in Kollam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kollam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 261% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $6 in Kollam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kollam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Kollam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kollam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kollam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.