Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,371 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Novi Sad

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,371 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Novi Sad $1,371

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $2,114 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Novi Sad $2,114

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,856 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Novi Sad $2,856

Medellin costs about 16% more than Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Novi Sad sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Novi Sad by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$9.93 RSD 1,037

-19.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$49.70 RSD 5,188

-6.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$12.00 RSD 1,253

-21.42%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$2.61 RSD 273

11.49%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$2.32 RSD 243

-24.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$1.83 RSD 192

-27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.91 RSD 303

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$3.78 RSD 394

46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$1.40 RSD 146

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$0.95 RSD 99.2

156.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$2.68 RSD 280

-39.18%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$2.54 RSD 265

11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$13.09 RSD 1,367

-25.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$7.52 RSD 785

23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$14.35 RSD 1,499

-6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$1.71 RSD 179

133.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$1.98 RSD 207

-25.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$1.66 RSD 173

27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$2.55 RSD 266

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$1.01 RSD 105

89.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$0.68 RSD 71.0

138.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.96 RSD 100

19.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$0.66 RSD 68.5

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$4.84 RSD 505

-21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$7.46 RSD 779

75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$0.92 RSD 95.7

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$2.21 RSD 231

2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.99 RSD 104

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$24.45 RSD 2,552

206.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$2.33 RSD 244

-45.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$0.93 RSD 96.9

120.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$10.35 RSD 1,081

-20.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$1.83 RSD 191

-30.60%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-12.87%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

30.88%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$223 RSD 23.2K

-27.14%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$20.57 RSD 2,147

-36.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$33.21 RSD 3,467

-15.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$36.61 RSD 3,823

21.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$11.06 RSD 1,155

47.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$7.30 RSD 763

-16.58%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$372 RSD 38.8K

105.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$7,710 RSD 804.9K

15.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$119 RSD 12.4K

-28.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$43.40 RSD 4,531

32.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$137 RSD 14.3K

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$124 RSD 12.9K

-22.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$495 RSD 51.6K

107.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$405 RSD 42.3K

49.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$955 RSD 99.7K

88.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$753 RSD 78.6K

31.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$3,527 RSD 368.2K

11.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$2,586 RSD 270.0K

-36.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$1,240 RSD 129.5K

-49.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.21

109.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Novi Sad

$405 29.2% 32.9% $199

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Novi Sad

$244 17.6% 15.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Novi Sad

$276 19.9% 35.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Novi Sad

$190 13.7% 14.3% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Novi Sad

$186 13.4% 11.5% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Novi Sad

$35 2.6% 61.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Novi Sad

$51 3.7% 9.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $495 in Novi Sad. 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 98% higher in Novi Sad, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $50.0 in Novi Sad. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Medellin vs $244 in Novi Sad – so Novi Sad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

260,438

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Novi Sad 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Novi Sad

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 Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $2,057 in Novi Sad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novi Sad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $50.0 in Novi Sad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,371 in Novi Sad. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Novi Sad, where all-in costs run around $1,371, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Novi Sad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Novi Sad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.