Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $502 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mardan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $502 in Mardan.

Medellin $1,639
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $788 in Mardan.

Medellin $2,413
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,074 in Mardan.

Medellin $3,186
Mardan $1,074

Living in Medellin is roughly 227% more expensive than in Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mardan is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.53 PKR 977

129.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$23.47 PKR 6,489

100.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.44 PKR 1,503

74.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 PKR 1,013

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 PKR 1,871

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.55 PKR 704

18.04%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.34 PKR 94.7

429.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.23 PKR 63.8

513.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.90 PKR 249

67.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.78 PKR 216

205.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.29 PKR 358

37.21%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.22 PKR 337

136.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$2.93 PKR 811

247.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.17 PKR 877

211.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$3.72 PKR 1,028

276.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.87 PKR 239

356.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.73 PKR 203

112.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.03 PKR 285

111.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.35 PKR 96.5

522.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.27 PKR 74.1

625.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.38 PKR 106

318.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.28 PKR 77.2

310.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.35 PKR 95.9

254.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 495

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 641

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.84 PKR 508

115.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.20 PKR 54.5

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$10.72 PKR 2,963

621.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.27 PKR 352

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.69 PKR 190

197.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.60 PKR 442

434.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.05 PKR 291

28.57%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

56.47%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

47.09%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$104 PKR 28.6K

63.75%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$6.02 PKR 1,664

125.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$16.99 PKR 4,697

65.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$12.89 PKR 3,563

239.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$8.04 PKR 2,221

113.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.89 PKR 1,352

41.31%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

1793.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,058 PKR 292.6K

760.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$25.98 PKR 7,182

226.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$34.63 PKR 9,574

67.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$96.3 PKR 26.6K

40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

143.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$134 PKR 37.1K

800.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

646.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$264 PKR 73.1K

667.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$182 PKR 50.3K

456.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$865 PKR 239.1K

382.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$578 PKR 159.7K

230.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.08

-16.36%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 86.6% $556

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 71.7% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 40.1% $85

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 54.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 47.5% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 82.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 60.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $134 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Mardan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $84 per month, with Mardan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

06:47 6:47 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

358,604

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mardan 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mardan is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $753 in Mardan 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $134 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $42 in Mardan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 253% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $502 in Mardan versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mardan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mardan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Mardan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.