Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Quba

For one person, living is cheaper in Quba: $557 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Quba, Azerbaijan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Quba
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
$557
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Quba

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $557 in Quba, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Quba $557

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $891 in Quba, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Quba $891

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,224 in Quba, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Quba $1,224

Medellin costs about 194% more than Quba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Quba is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$8.19 ₼13.92
-1.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$29.29 ₼49.78
60.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$5.86 ₼9.96
62.12%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$1.16 ₼1.97
159.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$0.46 ₼0.78
291.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.28 ₼0.47
403.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$1.19 ₼2.03
167.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$2.39 ₼4.06
140.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.30 ₼2.22
16.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$0.35 ₼0.60
580.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.15 ₼1.96
53.91%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$1.12 ₼1.90
158.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$1.75 ₼2.97
482.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$2.90 ₼4.93
240.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$8.81 ₼14.97
58.80%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$0.62 ₼1.06
540.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.27 ₼2.17
22.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$1.43 ₼2.43
52.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$1.05 ₼1.78
107.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$0.61 ₼1.03
221.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$0.52 ₼0.89
205.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$0.44 ₼0.74
161.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.59 ₼1.01
110.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$3.61 ₼6.13
9.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$5.25 ₼8.92
160.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$0.92 ₼1.57
80.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$1.90 ₼3.23
18.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Quba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.27 ₼0.46
333.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$1.16 ₼1.97
9.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$0.30 ₼0.51
583.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$2.88 ₼4.90
196.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$0.62 ₼1.05
117.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$26.9K ₼45.8K
26.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$26.0K ₼44.1K
33.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$33.05 ₼56.2
413.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$12.79 ₼21.74
5.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$14.85 ₼25.23
89.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$38.14 ₼64.8
14.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$4.05 ₼6.88
70.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$274 ₼466
190.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$16.1K ₼27.4K
-43.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$17.73 ₼30.13
377.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$29.76 ₼50.6
94.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$129 ₼219
4.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$34.99 ₼59.5
179.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Quba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$179 ₼304
574.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$116 ₼197
452.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$267 ₼453
660.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$177 ₼300
472.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Quba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$209 ₼354
215.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
20
-45.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Quba
$116 81.9% $525
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Quba
$124 58.2% $173
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Quba
$61 71.3% $151
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Quba
$111 34.7% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Quba
$95 43.7% $74
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Quba
$3.8 * 96% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Quba
$46 19.6% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $179 in Quba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Quba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $124 – making Quba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇿 Quba
🕒 Local time
01:27 1:27 AM
10:27 10:27 AM
9 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
25,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.89 AZN (1 AZN = 0.529 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Quba 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Quba

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 Quba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quba cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 194%, 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $835 in Quba. 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 Quba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Quba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Quba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Quba?
Groceries cost about 139% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Quba?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Quba, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Quba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Quba more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Quba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Quba. If higher salaries 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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