Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $528 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mahabad

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $528 in Mahabad, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Mahabad $528

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $831 in Mahabad, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Mahabad $831

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,135 in Mahabad, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Mahabad $1,135

Medellin costs about 221% more than Mahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Mahabad is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.92 $2.92

185.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$16.31 $16.31

185.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.99 $3.99

137.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.13 $1.13

176.99%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$0.51 $0.51

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.99 $0.99

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$0.68 $0.68

125.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$0.51 $0.51

349.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$2.09 $2.09

-7.18%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$1.24 $1.24

147.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.47 $4.47

123.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.34 $3.34

212.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.85 $7.85

77.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.03 $1.03

293.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$1.59 $1.59

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$0.86 $0.86

144.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$0.57 $0.57

301.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$0.57 $0.57

270.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$0.47 $0.47

263.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$0.54 $0.54

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$0.24 $0.24

558.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.46 $2.46

58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$0.14 $0.14

742.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$9.67 $9.67

688.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$0.44 $0.44

311.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$0.31 $0.31

587.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.63 $2.63

209.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$0.10 $0.10

1180.00%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$50.0K $50.0K

-31.09%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$45.4K $45.4K

-24.85%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$12.98 $12.98

1269.26%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$1.57 $1.57

784.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$3.81 $3.81

706.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$18.40 $18.40

127.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$13.52 $13.52

24.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.04 $2.04

266.18%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$107 $107

635.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,442 $2,442

403.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$22.95 $22.95

276.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$27.82 $27.82

113.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$98.5 $98.5

40.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$73.7 $73.7

34.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$290 $290

362.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$212 $212

214.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$806 $806

145.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$356 $356

190.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,134 $1,134

261.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$541 $541

258.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$254 $254

154.88%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mahabad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Mahabad

$212 40.2% 68.2% $455

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Mahabad

$108 20.4% 65% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Mahabad

$18 3.5% 91.7% $204

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Mahabad

$55 10.4% 68.2% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Mahabad

$100 19% 41.7% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Mahabad

$12 2.3% 86.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Mahabad

$22 4.3% 60.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $290 in Mahabad. 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 2.5 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 $16 in Mahabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $108 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

208,541

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Mahabad 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mahabad

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 Mahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 221%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $792 in Mahabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $107 in Mahabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 186% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $528, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Mahabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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