Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Magadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Magadan: $1,144 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Magadan
Learn more

Magadan Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Magadan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Magadan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,144 in Magadan.

Medellin $1,692
Magadan $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,772 in Magadan.

Medellin $2,471
Magadan $1,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,401 in Magadan.

Medellin $3,249
Magadan $2,401

Living in Medellin is roughly 48% more expensive than in Magadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Magadan is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$12.42 ₽1,017

-32.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$41.93 ₽3,435

10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.29 ₽597

29.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.89 ₽237

8.30%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$1.18 ₽96.7

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.57 ₽46.81

149.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.82 ₽149

73.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.49 ₽286

63.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.21 ₽99.1

26.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$0.79 ₽64.4

189.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.47 ₽120

31.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$1.66 ₽136

84.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$12.13 ₽993

-17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.36 ₽439

94.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$10.17 ₽833

37.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.79 ₽146

126.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$1.86 ₽152

-17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$1.78 ₽146

17.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$2.65 ₽217

-13.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$0.85 ₽69.3

148.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$0.64 ₽52.0

167.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.20 ₽98.2

-2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$0.61 ₽49.96

159.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.50 ₽287

11.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$7.83 ₽642

79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.08 ₽88.8

62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.23 ₽183

21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$0.54 ₽43.92

118.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$25.33 ₽2,075

201.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$2.47 ₽202

-26.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$0.37 ₽30.65

475.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.51 ₽451

47.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$0.89 ₽73.2

43.82%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$52.9K ₽4.3M

-34.87%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-16.76%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$148 ₽12.2K

19.72%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$6.41 ₽525

116.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$8.09 ₽663

279.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$33.50 ₽2,744

25.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$26.55 ₽2,175

-36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.22 ₽509

20.10%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$364 ₽29.9K

116.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,702 ₽467.1K

115.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$91.1 ₽7,459

-5.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$58.0 ₽4,749

2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$148 ₽12.2K

-6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$120 ₽9,823

-17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$441 ₽36.1K

204.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$328 ₽26.9K

103.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$918 ₽75.2K

115.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$571 ₽46.8K

80.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,122 ₽173.9K

93.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,479 ₽121.2K

31.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.33

-48.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Magadan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Magadan

$328 28.7% 50.8% $339

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Magadan

$208 18.2% 32.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Magadan

$163 14.3% 26.7% $59

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Magadan

$179 15.7% 3.7% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Magadan

$188 16.4% 9% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Magadan

$32 2.8% 66% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Magadan

$46 4% 19.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $441 in Magadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $42 in Magadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $208 per month, with Magadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Magadan

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

89,193

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Magadan 11,640 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Magadan

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 Magadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magadan wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Magadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,716 in Magadan 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $441 in Magadan. 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 $1,144 in Magadan – Magadan is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Magadan 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 Magadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.