Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Novy Urengoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Novy Urengoy: $982 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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 Novy Urengoy
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Novy Urengoy Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Novy Urengoy

🇷🇺 Russia

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Novy Urengoy

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $982 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Novy Urengoy $982

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,545 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Novy Urengoy $1,545

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,108 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Novy Urengoy $2,108

Medellin costs about 64% more than Novy Urengoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Novy Urengoy is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$11.10 ₽926

-28.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$36.88 ₽3,078

25.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.03 ₽503

57.55%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.72 ₽227

14.34%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.11 ₽92.5

64.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.61 ₽50.5

126.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.70 ₽142

79.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.91 ₽243

89.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.02 ₽85.5

42.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.84 ₽69.9

180.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.33 ₽111

26.32%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.75 ₽146

63.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.19 ₽1,018

-16.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.26 ₽439

81.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.44 ₽955

22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.84 ₽153

121.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.55 ₽129

-3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.55 ₽130

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.75 ₽230

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.68 ₽56.6

183.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.67 ₽56.0

144.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.17 ₽98.0

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.82 ₽68.5

52.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.64 ₽220

51.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.11 ₽677

64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.17 ₽97.3

45.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.14 ₽179

10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.60 ₽49.70

101.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.09 ₽174

-36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.37 ₽30.69

478.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.91 ₽410

72.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.92 ₽77.0

41.30%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$37.3K ₽3.1M

-24.98%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$31.5K ₽2.6M

12.38%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$103 ₽8,568

67.63%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$6.12 ₽511

118.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$7.24 ₽604

296.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$34.92 ₽2,914

29.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$24.93 ₽2,081

-31.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.61 ₽468

11.94%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$346 ₽28.8K

122.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,985 ₽499.5K

50.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$68.7 ₽5,731

25.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$52.4 ₽4,373

9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$125 ₽10.4K

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$91.4 ₽7,625

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$486 ₽40.6K

117.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$291 ₽24.2K

111.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$845 ₽70.5K

124.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$515 ₽43.0K

98.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,892 ₽157.9K

114.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,412 ₽117.8K

18.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.45

-49.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Novy Urengoy: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Novy Urengoy

$291 29.6% 52.8% $325

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Novy Urengoy

$211 21.5% 28.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Novy Urengoy

$116 11.8% 45.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Novy Urengoy

$152 15.5% 10.8% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Novy Urengoy

$161 16.4% 4.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Novy Urengoy

$6.3 * 0.6% 93.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Novy Urengoy

$46 4.7% 20.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $486 in Novy Urengoy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $37.00 in Novy Urengoy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $211 – making Novy Urengoy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Novy Urengoy

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

08:36 8:36 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

124,112

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Novy Urengoy 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Novy Urengoy

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 Novy Urengoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,473 in Novy Urengoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novy Urengoy, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $37.00 in Novy Urengoy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Novy Urengoy, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Novy Urengoy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novy Urengoy – 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 Novy Urengoy. 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.