Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Quetta

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $415 in Quetta, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Quetta $415

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $620 in Quetta, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Quetta $620

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $826 in Quetta, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Quetta $826

Medellin costs about 295% more than Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Quetta is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.51 PKR 971

130.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$10.77 PKR 2,978

336.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.59 PKR 1,269

106.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 PKR 514

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 PKR 1,429

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.65 PKR 455

82.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.41 PKR 114

339.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.17 PKR 48.30

729.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.75 PKR 206

101.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.55 PKR 152

332.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.28 PKR 353

38.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.18 PKR 327

144.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.02 PKR 1,387

102.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.95 PKR 816

234.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.18 PKR 1,433

170.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.99 PKR 274

301.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.56 PKR 155

176.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.69 PKR 190

215.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.55 PKR 152

296.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.32 PKR 88.6

512.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.52 PKR 143

205.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.42 PKR 117

173.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.40 PKR 110

210.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 507

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.04 PKR 563

94.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.14 PKR 37.85

735.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$9.01 PKR 2,490

758.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.04 PKR 288

22.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.47 PKR 129

336.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.53 PKR 424

458.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.15 PKR 317

17.39%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

71.17%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

47.78%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$100 PKR 27.7K

69.33%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$7.95 PKR 2,198

70.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$16.48 PKR 4,557

70.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$5.81 PKR 1,607

652.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$7.46 PKR 2,061

130.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.23 PKR 893

113.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$35.14 PKR 9,715

2167.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,039 PKR 287.2K

777.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$8.05 PKR 2,226

952.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$22.10 PKR 6,109

162.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

96.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$33.98 PKR 9,394

188.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

1593.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1165.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$164 PKR 45.4K

1135.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$101 PKR 27.8K

906.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$386 PKR 106.8K

979.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$222 PKR 61.5K

758.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$274 PKR 75.8K

139.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-15.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 92.1% $591

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Quetta

$90 21.8% 69.5% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Quetta

$125 30.1% 41% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 62.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 64.6% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Quetta

$13 3.1% 86.2% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Quetta

$12 3% 78.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $71 in Quetta. 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 2.4 times higher, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $11 in Quetta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $90 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,001,205

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Quetta 14,330 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 295%, 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 $622 in Quetta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $71 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $11 in Quetta. 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 $415 in Quetta. That makes Quetta about 75% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetta, where all-in costs run around $415, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Quetta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quetta – 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 Quetta. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.