Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Petropavl

For one person, living is cheaper in Petropavl: $823 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Petropavl
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Petropavl Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Petropavl

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Petropavl

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $823 in Petropavl, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Petropavl $823

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,498 in Petropavl, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Petropavl $1,498

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,173 in Petropavl, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Petropavl $2,173

Medellin costs about 96% more than Petropavl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Petropavl is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$14.52 ₸6,564

-45.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$31.64 ₸14.3K

45.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.40 ₸4,248

1.06%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.70 ₸1,221

15.19%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.52 ₸688

20.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.73 ₸331

89.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.52 ₸688

100.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.63 ₸1,189

109.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.11 ₸501

30.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.68 ₸309

247.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.10 ₸947

-20.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.11 ₸956

35.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.69 ₸4,834

-4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.90 ₸2,666

61.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.11 ₸4,569

38.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.59 ₸717

155.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.26 ₸1,020

-33.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.90 ₸857

14.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.31 ₸594

76.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.70 ₸317

175.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.69 ₸314

137.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.65 ₸1,197

-57.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.13 ₸512

10.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.41 ₸1,090

65.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.92 ₸3,582

68.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.13 ₸511

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.12 ₸960

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.25 ₸113

384.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.66 ₸298

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.02 ₸462

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.70 ₸318

85.71%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.9K ₸9.9M

28.08%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$26.6K ₸12.0M

33.15%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$57.1 ₸25.8K

201.17%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$18.00 ₸8,138

-25.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$29.39 ₸13.3K

53.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.97 ₸2,246

26.36%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$87.2 ₸39.4K

783.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$44.09 ₸19.9K

95.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$33.71 ₸15.2K

69.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$66.3 ₸29.9K

106.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$338 ₸152.8K

212.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$222 ₸100.4K

177.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$988 ₸446.6K

91.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$782 ₸353.6K

30.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$872 ₸394.1K

365.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$986 ₸445.8K

70.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$303 ₸136.8K

115.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-45.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Petropavl: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Petropavl

$222 27% 63.9% $394

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Petropavl

$216 26.2% 26.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Petropavl

$75 * 9.1% 64.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Petropavl

$65 * 7.9% 61.9% $105

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Petropavl

$199 24.2% 18% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Petropavl

$6.8 * 0.8% 92.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Petropavl

$39 4.8% 32% $18

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 $338 in Petropavl. 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 116% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Petropavl. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $216 – making Petropavl the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇿 Petropavl

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

05:00 5:00 AM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

222,703

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Medellin Petropavl 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Petropavl

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 Petropavl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,234 in Petropavl. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petropavl, 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 $32.00 in Petropavl. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 Petropavl, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Petropavl it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Petropavl – 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 Petropavl. 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.