Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,029 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nis

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,029 in Nis, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nis $1,029

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,526 in Nis, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nis $1,526

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,022 in Nis, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nis $2,022

Medellin costs about 59% more than Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nis is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.71 RSD 912

-7.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$33.20 RSD 3,477

41.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.73 RSD 1,019

-2.36%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.93 RSD 202

55.96%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.28 RSD 239

-21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.80 RSD 189

-21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.71 RSD 389

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.36 RSD 456

31.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.08 RSD 114

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.72 RSD 75.7

230.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.68 RSD 176

5.36%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.32 RSD 243

24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.41 RSD 776

37.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.77 RSD 604

71.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.97 RSD 1,149

27.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.08 RSD 114

267.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.70 RSD 178

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.42 RSD 149

53.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.07 RSD 216

5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.79 RSD 82.6

148.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.74 RSD 77.1

114.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.64 RSD 67.5

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.57 RSD 59.9

117.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.46 RSD 467

-11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.58 RSD 585

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.69 RSD 71.8

140.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.36 RSD 142

66.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.86 RSD 194

-31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.69 RSD 71.9

197.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.28 RSD 867

3.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.86 RSD 195

-27.42%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

11.46%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$23.2K RSD 2.4M

49.31%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$156 RSD 16.4K

8.47%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$19.16 RSD 2,007

-29.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.67 RSD 2,375

23.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$29.61 RSD 3,102

47.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$15.29 RSD 1,602

12.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.62 RSD 484

49.57%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$247 RSD 25.9K

222.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,809 RSD 503.7K

89.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$86.5 RSD 9,061

-2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.99 RSD 4,189

44.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$100 RSD 10.5K

34.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$109 RSD 11.4K

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$418 RSD 43.8K

188.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$290 RSD 30.4K

121.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$626 RSD 65.6K

223.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$450 RSD 47.1K

124.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,650 RSD 277.6K

57.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,862 RSD 195.1K

2.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$922 RSD 96.6K

-28.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.11

114.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nis

$290 28.2% 54.8% $352

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nis

$180 17.5% 39.3% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nis

$198 19.3% 6.2% $13

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nis

$166 16.1% 2.4% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nis

$151 14.7% 10.5% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nis

$5.3 * 0.5% 94.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nis

$39 3.8% 32.5% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $418 in Nis. 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 40% higher in Nis, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $33 in Nis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $180 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

78,470

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Nis 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nis

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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,544 in Nis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Nis. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,029 in Nis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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