Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $874 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sari

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $874 in Sari, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sari $874

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,080 in Sari, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sari $1,080

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,287 in Sari, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sari $1,287

Medellin costs about 88% more than Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sari is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.55 $3.55

127.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$11.80 $11.80

298.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.08 $4.08

132.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.23 $1.23

144.72%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.48 $0.48

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.52 $0.52

171.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.48 $0.48

214.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.60 $0.60

296.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.32 $3.32

-46.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.23 $1.23

134.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.48 $4.48

127.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.46 $3.46

185.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.25 $9.25

51.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.32 $1.32

200.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.88 $1.88

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.19 $1.19

83.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.65 $0.65

235.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.59 $0.59

232.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.51 $0.51

211.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.58 $0.58

98.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.30 $0.30

313.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.44 $2.44

62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$9.87 $9.87

683.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.51 $0.51

149.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.31 $0.31

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.03 $3.03

182.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.09 $0.09

1400.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$50.9K $50.9K

-33.13%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$45.1K $45.1K

-23.12%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$13.18 $13.18

1187.18%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$1.58 $1.58

757.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$3.99 $3.99

603.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$49.52 $49.52

-11.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$11.93 $11.93

44.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.02 $1.02

577.45%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$49.24 $49.24

1517.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$815 $815

1018.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$26.10 $26.10

224.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$37.45 $37.45

54.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$115 $115

17.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$73.5 $73.5

33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$794 $794

52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$497 $497

29.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$693 $693

192.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$401 $401

152.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$857 $857

386.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$526 $526

263.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$248 $248

165.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.79

-55.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sari: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sari

$497 56.8% 22.6% $145

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sari

$122 14% 58.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sari

$19 2.1% 91.1% $193

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sari

$59 6.8% 65% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sari

$113 13% 32.9% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 87.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sari

$52 5.9% 10.4% $6

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 $794 in Sari. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $12 in Sari. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $122 – making Sari the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

20:04 8:04 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

300,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Sari 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sari

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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 88%, 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 $1,311 in Sari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sari, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $794 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $12 in Sari. 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 $874 in Sari. That makes Sari about 47% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sari, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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