Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Novosibirsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Novosibirsk: $1,153 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Novosibirsk

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,153 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Novosibirsk $1,153

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,833 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Novosibirsk $1,833

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,512 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Novosibirsk $2,512

Medellin costs about 42% more than Novosibirsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Novosibirsk is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$11.60 ₽928

-30.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$48.68 ₽3,894

-3.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.27 ₽501

51.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.81 ₽225

7.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.18 ₽94.5

52.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.58 ₽46.53

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.23 ₽98.3

158.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.61 ₽288

59.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.23 ₽98.5

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.72 ₽57.9

230.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.48 ₽119

19.59%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.73 ₽139

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.99 ₽959

-15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$5.00 ₽400

97.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$12.33 ₽986

13.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.91 ₽153

107.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.79 ₽143

-13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$2.06 ₽165

5.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$3.36 ₽269

-35.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.82 ₽66.0

139.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.61 ₽48.96

160.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.55 ₽124

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.83 ₽66.7

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.17 ₽253

24.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.66 ₽853

28.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.00 ₽79.8

66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.70 ₽136

32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.55 ₽43.81

112.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$32.41 ₽2,592

138.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.54 ₽203

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.52 ₽41.65

294.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$6.21 ₽497

37.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.82 ₽66.0

64.63%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$43.9K ₽3.5M

-22.35%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$39.4K ₽3.2M

-11.98%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$111 ₽8,903

52.41%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$7.18 ₽574

88.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$8.33 ₽666

236.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$38.16 ₽3,052

14.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$30.42 ₽2,433

-43.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.41 ₽592

-6.75%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$312 ₽24.9K

155.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$71.9 ₽5,753

17.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$47.55 ₽3,803

21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$144 ₽11.6K

-6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$100 ₽8,035

-2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$570 ₽45.6K

111.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$379 ₽30.3K

69.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,022 ₽81.7K

98.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$692 ₽55.4K

46.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,446 ₽195.6K

70.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,869 ₽149.5K

2.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$922 ₽73.8K

-28.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

22.83

-52.08%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Novosibirsk

$379 32.8% 41% $263

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Novosibirsk

$225 19.5% 24.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Novosibirsk

$127 11% 40% $84

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Novosibirsk

$166 14.4% 2.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Novosibirsk

$164 14.2% 3% $5

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Novosibirsk

$40 3.5% 57.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Novosibirsk

$53 4.6% 7.9% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $570 in Novosibirsk. 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 Novosibirsk, 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 $49 in Novosibirsk. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $225 in Novosibirsk – so Novosibirsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,620,162

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.26 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Novosibirsk 12,920 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Novosibirsk

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 Novosibirsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, 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 $1,730 in Novosibirsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novosibirsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $570 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $49 in Novosibirsk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,153 in Novosibirsk. That makes Novosibirsk about 30% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Novosibirsk, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Novosibirsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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