Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Perm

For one person, living is cheaper in Perm: $956 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Perm
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Perm Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Perm

🇷🇺 Russia

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Perm

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $956 in Perm, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Perm $956

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,457 in Perm, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Perm $1,457

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,959 in Perm, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Perm $1,959

Medellin costs about 72% more than Perm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Perm is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.75 ₽705

-7.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.08 ₽2,181

73.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.03 ₽486

57.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.29 ₽185

31.44%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.77 ₽62.1

133.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.44 ₽35.67

220.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.22 ₽98.4

160.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.58 ₽127

263.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.14 ₽92.0

32.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.88 ₽71.0

170.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.25 ₽100

41.60%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.29 ₽104

124.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.26 ₽665

23.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.45 ₽439

81.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.49 ₽1,006

12.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.20 ₽177

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.21 ₽178

-29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.28 ₽184

-4.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.46 ₽198

-11.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.61 ₽48.81

221.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.44 ₽35.07

261.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.91 ₽73.4

26.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.92 ₽73.8

34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.74 ₽221

44.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.06 ₽810

35.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.90 ₽72.2

84.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.73 ₽139

30.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.51 ₽41.14

129.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$26.65 ₽2,146

190.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.81 ₽146

-29.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.44 ₽35.48

365.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.31 ₽347

98.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.89 ₽71.5

51.69%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$53.0K ₽4.3M

-35.67%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-15.92%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$131 ₽10.5K

29.59%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$5.73 ₽461

136.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$8.89 ₽716

215.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$29.38 ₽2,366

48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.14 ₽1,139

21.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.71 ₽701

-20.67%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$249 ₽20.0K

220.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,597 ₽370.2K

98.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.8 ₽4,571

49.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$35.27 ₽2,841

64.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$65.1 ₽5,240

107.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$74.4 ₽5,993

31.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$477 ₽38.4K

153.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$286 ₽23.0K

124.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$640 ₽51.5K

216.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$513 ₽41.3K

97.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,468 ₽198.8K

68.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,681 ₽135.4K

13.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,014 ₽81.7K

-35.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

23.33

-53.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Perm: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Perm

$286 29.9% 55.5% $356

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Perm

$211 22.1% 29% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Perm

$146 15.2% 31.1% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Perm

$130 13.6% 23.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Perm

$104 10.9% 38.3% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Perm

$33 3.4% 65% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Perm

$47 4.9% 18.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $477 in Perm. 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 54% higher in Perm, 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 $27 in Perm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $211 – making Perm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Perm

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,026,908

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Perm 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Perm

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 Perm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,433 in Perm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $477 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Perm. 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 $956 in Perm. That makes Perm about 42% cheaper.

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

For expats, Perm is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.