Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sakarya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakarya: $951 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Sakarya, Turkey
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Sakarya
🇹🇷 Turkey
$951
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sakarya

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $951 in Sakarya, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Sakarya $951

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,452 in Sakarya, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Sakarya $1,452

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,952 in Sakarya, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Sakarya $1,952

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$7.05 ₺352
14.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$29.71 ₺1,484
58.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$6.83 ₺341
39.09%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$3.51 ₺175
-14.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.96 ₺47.73
87.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.36 ₺18.21
291.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.79 ₺89.5
77.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.44 ₺122
135.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$0.93 ₺46.59
62.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$1.02 ₺51.1
133.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$2.15 ₺108
-17.67%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.04 ₺102
41.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.82 ₺391
30.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$2.77 ₺138
256.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$17.67 ₺883
-20.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.85 ₺92.2
114.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$1.84 ₺91.9
-15.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$0.77 ₺38.53
183.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$1.25 ₺62.7
74.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$0.52 ₺26.18
276.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$0.30 ₺15.13
430.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$0.77 ₺38.61
49.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.71 ₺35.53
74.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$2.06 ₺103
92.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$14.33 ₺716
-4.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.94 ₺96.7
-14.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$3.44 ₺172
-34.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$0.46 ₺23.07
154.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$60.9 ₺3,044
27.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$1.07 ₺53.7
18.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$1.12 ₺55.8
83.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$4.09 ₺204
109.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.33 ₺66.3
1.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$42.8K ₺2.1M
-20.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$39.4K ₺2.0M
-12.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$43.27 ₺2,162
292.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$10.13 ₺506
33.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$14.03 ₺701
100.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$39.42 ₺1,970
10.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$6.15 ₺307
12.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$898 ₺44.9K
-11.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$14.7K ₺733.8K
-37.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$37.57 ₺1,877
125.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$41.55 ₺2,076
39.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$83.8 ₺4,184
61.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$70.6 ₺3,526
38.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$400 ₺20.0K
202.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$304 ₺15.2K
110.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$783 ₺39.1K
158.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$486 ₺24.3K
108.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$1,222 ₺61.1K
241.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$673 ₺33.6K
184.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Sakarya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$885 ₺44.2K
-25.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
39.8
-72.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sakarya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Sakarya
$304 52.5% $337
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Sakarya
$215 27.5% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Sakarya
$67 68.1% $144
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Sakarya
$138 18.6% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Sakarya
$105 37.8% $64
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Sakarya
$69 25.8% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Sakarya
$52 10.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $400 in Sakarya. 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 35% higher in Sakarya, 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 $30 in Sakarya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $215 – making Sakarya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇷 Sakarya
🕒 Local time
16:30 4:30 PM
00:30 12:30 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,094,481
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.97 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Sakarya 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Sakarya

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 Sakarya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sakarya cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,427 in Sakarya. 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 Sakarya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $400 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Sakarya?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Sakarya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Sakarya?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $951 in Sakarya. That makes Sakarya about 42% cheaper.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Sakarya?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $951 in Sakarya to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Sakarya 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.

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