Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pavlodar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavlodar: $731 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pavlodar
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Pavlodar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Pavlodar

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pavlodar

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $731 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Pavlodar $731

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,148 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Pavlodar $1,148

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,565 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Pavlodar $1,565

Medellin costs about 131% more than Pavlodar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Pavlodar is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.49 ₸2,926

28.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$22.42 ₸10.1K

107.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.67 ₸3,909

9.23%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.67 ₸751

87.43%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.19 ₸536

48.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.52 ₸235

173.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.13 ₸507

178.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.40 ₸629

307.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.00 ₸450

53.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.34 ₸153

573.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.36 ₸614

42.65%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.53 ₸688

100.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$5.24 ₸2,360

90.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.60 ₸2,074

127.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.80 ₸3,064

105.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.42 ₸640

185.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.66 ₸746

-7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.74 ₸784

20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.62 ₸732

41.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.97 ₸437

117.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.70 ₸317

144.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.70 ₸314

125.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.49 ₸1,121

57.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$7.24 ₸3,265

93.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.30 ₸585

35.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.16 ₸975

25.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.35 ₸158

237.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.48 ₸666

22.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.17 ₸527

82.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.69 ₸312

85.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$25.6K ₸11.5M

33.41%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$67.3 ₸30.3K

164.20%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$11.12 ₸5,011

24.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$26.45 ₸11.9K

16.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$31.49 ₸14.2K

33.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$11.08 ₸4,994

51.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.36 ₸1,967

71.33%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$135 ₸60.8K

485.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,382 ₸2.0M

180.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$25.88 ₸11.7K

128.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$75.0 ₸33.8K

84.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$101 ₸45.4K

-1.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$280 ₸126.2K

379.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$219 ₸98.8K

204.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$563 ₸253.9K

250.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$447 ₸201.7K

130.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,080 ₸486.9K

279.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$890 ₸401.2K

118.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$702 ₸316.6K

-8.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pavlodar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Pavlodar

$219 30% 67.1% $448

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Pavlodar

$154 * 21.1% 49.9% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Pavlodar

$105 14.3% 52.9% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Pavlodar

$113 15.5% 34.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Pavlodar

$91 * 12.4% 47.4% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Pavlodar

$8.7 * 1.2% 90.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Pavlodar

$40 5.5% 29.3% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $280 in Pavlodar. 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 9% higher in Pavlodar, 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 $22 in Pavlodar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $154 – making Pavlodar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇿 Pavlodar

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

17:26 5:26 PM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

334,830

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Pavlodar 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Pavlodar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,096 in Pavlodar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pavlodar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $280 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Pavlodar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pavlodar, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Pavlodar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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