Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $904 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
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Oskemen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Oskemen

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $904 in Oskemen, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Oskemen $904

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,517 in Oskemen, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Oskemen $1,517

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,131 in Oskemen, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Oskemen $2,131

Medellin costs about 80% more than Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Oskemen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$13.29 ₸6,010

-37.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$26.05 ₸11.8K

80.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$3.90 ₸1,764

136.92%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.42 ₸1,547

-10.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.98 ₸444

83.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.55 ₸248

150.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.58 ₸716

105.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.69 ₸766

228.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.45 ₸656

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.49 ₸223

383.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.37 ₸618

24.09%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.76 ₸795

68.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.07 ₸4,554

1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.93 ₸2,681

64.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.02 ₸3,624

73.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.17 ₸530

252.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.01 ₸907

-23.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.72 ₸1,230

-18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.52 ₸1,140

-9.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.94 ₸425

111.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.52 ₸236

221.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.32 ₸145

268.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.05 ₸476

18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.23 ₸1,006

73.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$4.87 ₸2,201

182.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.45 ₸656

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.62 ₸733

48.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.24 ₸108

416.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.13 ₸511

13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.32 ₸146

571.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.47 ₸1,119

238.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.66 ₸297

104.55%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$32.4K ₸14.7M

7.21%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$31.1K ₸14.1M

11.50%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$46.60 ₸21.1K

257.62%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.54 ₸5,217

18.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$22.44 ₸10.1K

29.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$26.34 ₸11.9K

71.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$19.83 ₸8,964

-13.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.09 ₸2,301

36.94%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$66.0 ₸29.8K

1097.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,835 ₸1.3M

218.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$112 ₸50.8K

-21.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$81.0 ₸36.6K

-28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$97.9 ₸44.3K

41.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$121 ₸54.7K

-18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$339 ₸153.3K

203.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$226 ₸102.2K

174.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$675 ₸305.0K

178.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$572 ₸258.6K

76.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,107 ₸500.3K

260.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$838 ₸378.8K

103.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$800 ₸361.6K

-17.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

19.5

-43.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Oskemen

$226 25% 63.5% $393

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Oskemen

$195 21.6% 34.4% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Oskemen

$81 8.9% 61.5% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Oskemen

$185 20.5% 7.4% $13

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Oskemen

$177 19.5% 3.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Oskemen

$3.7 * 0.4% 96.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Oskemen

$37 4% 38.1% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $339 in Oskemen. 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 21% higher in Oskemen, 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 $26.00 in Oskemen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $195 – making Oskemen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

354,770

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Oskemen 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,356 in Oskemen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oskemen, 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 $26.00 in Oskemen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oskemen, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Oskemen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Oskemen. 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.