Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $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
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Medellin Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
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Kottayam Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kottayam

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

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

Medellin $1,639
Kottayam $284

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $465 in Kottayam, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kottayam $465

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $646 in Kottayam, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kottayam $646

Medellin costs about 476% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.07 ₹101

656.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$9.67 ₹918

386.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.21 ₹304

195.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$0.82 ₹78.3

267.07%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.31 ₹28.99

480.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.13 ₹11.91

984.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.29 ₹122

146.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.82 ₹173

215.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.58 ₹54.8

160.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.49 ₹46.70

385.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.53 ₹50.7

233.96%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$0.85 ₹81.2

240.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$2.05 ₹195

397.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.71 ₹352

166.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.03 ₹193

95.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.56 ₹53.1

176.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.88 ₹83.5

147.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.50 ₹47.73

336.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.37 ₹35.39

429.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.38 ₹36.19

318.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.63 ₹60.0

82.54%

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

$5.00 ₹475

-20.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.02 ₹381

240.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.62 ₹153

2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.20 ₹209

2.73%

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

$3.38 ₹321

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.29 ₹27.60

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$7.84 ₹744

886.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.83 ₹78.4

53.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.30 ₹28.93

583.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.12 ₹201

303.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.08 ₹102

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$11.1K ₹1.1M

206.38%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$14.6K ₹1.4M

137.24%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$20.71 ₹1,967

719.17%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$2.96 ₹281

357.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$6.06 ₹576

363.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$6.18 ₹587

607.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$9.38 ₹891

83.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.75 ₹166

294.86%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$10.45 ₹992

7523.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$516 ₹49.0K

1665.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$18.67 ₹1,773

353.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$15.82 ₹1,502

266.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$21.28 ₹2,020

534.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$12.19 ₹1,157

702.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$115 ₹10.9K

947.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$74.5 ₹7,076

760.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$265 ₹25.1K

666.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$175 ₹16.6K

478.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$941 ₹89.4K

343.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$550 ₹52.2K

247.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$292 ₹27.7K

125.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kottayam

$75 26.2% 88.4% $567

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kottayam

$89 31.2% 70.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kottayam

$30 10.5% 85.9% $182

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kottayam

$40 14% 76.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kottayam

$31 10.8% 81.9% $138

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kottayam

$11 4% 87.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kottayam

$9.7 3.4% 83.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $115 in Kottayam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $10 in Kottayam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $89 – making Kottayam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

55,374

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kottayam 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kottayam

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 Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 476% more than Kottayam, 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 $427 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kottayam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $284 in Kottayam. That makes Kottayam about 83% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Kottayam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Families tend to lean toward Kottayam – 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 Kottayam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.