Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Orsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Orsha: $655 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Orsha
🇧🇾 Belarus
$655
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Orsha

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $655 in Orsha, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Orsha $655

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,013 in Orsha, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Orsha $1,013

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,371 in Orsha, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Orsha $1,371

Medellin costs about 148% more than Orsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Orsha is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$6.82 BYN 20.47
21.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$29.91 BYN 89.7
56.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$4.40 BYN 13.20
110.00%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$1.59 BYN 4.78
91.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$0.58 BYN 1.74
210.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$0.35 BYN 1.06
294.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$1.14 BYN 3.42
184.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$2.45 BYN 7.34
126.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$0.75 BYN 2.25
100.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$0.57 BYN 1.71
315.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$1.15 BYN 3.44
47.83%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$1.42 BYN 4.26
108.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$6.80 BYN 20.40
50.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$4.19 BYN 12.58
132.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$6.19 BYN 18.56
124.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$1.23 BYN 3.68
235.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$1.79 BYN 5.36
-14.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$1.89 BYN 5.66
17.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$1.79 BYN 5.37
26.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$0.42 BYN 1.27
373.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$0.61 BYN 1.82
173.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.04 BYN 3.11
13.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.51 BYN 1.52
143.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$2.07 BYN 6.20
86.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$7.83 BYN 23.48
75.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$1.58 BYN 4.75
5.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$2.16 BYN 6.47
11.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$0.64 BYN 1.92
93.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$14.57 BYN 43.70
436.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$0.67 BYN 2.00
91.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$0.35 BYN 1.06
514.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$9.97 BYN 29.91
-16.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$0.85 BYN 2.56
58.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$15.2K BYN 45.7K
128.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$16.1K BYN 48.2K
115.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$70.7 BYN 212
135.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$7.60 BYN 22.81
79.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$11.57 BYN 34.72
151.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$32.21 BYN 96.6
39.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$3.26 BYN 9.79
113.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$331 BYN 992
138.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$9,973 BYN 29.9K
-9.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$45.66 BYN 137
92.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$47.67 BYN 143
21.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$90.4 BYN 271
53.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$106 BYN 317
-6.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$360 BYN 1,080
185.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$118 BYN 353
426.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$583 BYN 1,748
222.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$153 BYN 460
557.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$1,119 BYN 3,356
256.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$883 BYN 2,647
92.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Orsha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$182 BYN 545
265.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
18
-39.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Orsha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Orsha
$118 81% $502
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Orsha
$157 47.2% $141
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Orsha
$90 57.1% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Orsha
$130 24.6% $43
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Orsha
$101 40.7% $70
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Orsha
$20 79.5% $76
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Orsha
$39 34.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $360 in Orsha. 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 265% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $30.00 in Orsha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $157 – making Orsha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇾 Orsha
🕒 Local time
18:30 6:30 PM
02:30 2:30 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
115,052
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3 BYN (1 BYN = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 BYN (1 BYN = 0.297 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Orsha 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Orsha

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 Orsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Orsha cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 148%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $982 in Orsha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Orsha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Orsha?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $30.00 in Orsha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Orsha?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $655 in Orsha. That's a gap of about 148%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Orsha?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Orsha, where all-in costs run around $655, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Orsha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Orsha more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Orsha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Orsha?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Orsha. 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.

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