Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shahrekord

For one person, living is cheaper in Shahrekord: $529 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Shahrekord, Iran
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Shahrekord
🇮🇷 Iran
$529
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shahrekord

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $529 in Shahrekord, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Shahrekord $529

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $830 in Shahrekord, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Shahrekord $830

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,130 in Shahrekord, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Shahrekord $1,130

Medellin costs about 210% more than Shahrekord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shahrekord is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$2.56 $2.56
216.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.7K
$15.92 $15.92
195.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.0K
$4.19 $4.19
126.73%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.66 $0.66
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.15 $1.15
-
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,532
$0.67 $0.67
349.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,688
$0.47 $0.47
282.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,465
$1.00 $1.00
41.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,774
$0.70 $0.70
115.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,517
$0.53 $0.53
349.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,601
$1.98 $1.98
-10.61%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,138
$1.15 $1.15
151.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$4.38 $4.38
132.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$3.63 $3.63
171.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.2K
$8.87 $8.87
57.72%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$0.97 $0.97
309.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,907
$1.62 $1.62
-4.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,901
$0.87 $0.87
150.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,904
$0.61 $0.61
257.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,205
$0.54 $0.54
262.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,025
$0.50 $0.50
218.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,622
$0.54 $0.54
112.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,930
$0.29 $0.29
327.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.84 $0.84
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.55 $0.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.55 $1.55
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.87 $2.87
37.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,247
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,139
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,692
$0.15 $0.15
680.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.6K
$10.12 $10.12
664.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,009
$0.38 $0.38
234.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,474
$0.28 $0.28
632.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.0K
$2.94 $2.94
190.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,258
$0.10 $0.10
1250.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.7M
$45.5K $45.5K
-25.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.6M
$45.2K $45.2K
-23.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.4K
$11.69 $11.69
1351.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.8K
$1.58 $1.58
757.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.7K
$4.13 $4.13
579.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.2K
$18.28 $18.28
139.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.3K
$13.10 $13.10
31.22%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$1.92 $1.92
259.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$92.9 $92.9
757.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$2,147 $2,147
324.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 267.8K
$23.07 $23.07
267.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.2K
$28.39 $28.39
104.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 426.7K
$108 $108
25.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.4K
$73.8 $73.8
32.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$295 $295
308.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$214 $214
200.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$892 $892
127.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$349 $349
189.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$903 $903
361.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$495 $495
286.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Shahrekord
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$200 $200
227.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
24.3
-54.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shahrekord: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Shahrekord
$214 66.7% $428
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Shahrekord
$112 62.3% $185
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Shahrekord
$17 91.8% $194
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Shahrekord
$47 72.3% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Shahrekord
$105 37.9% $64
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Shahrekord
$13 86.6% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Shahrekord
$22 61.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $295 in Shahrekord. 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 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Shahrekord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $112 – making Shahrekord the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇷 Shahrekord
🕒 Local time
16:36 4:36 PM
01:06 1:06 AM
8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
129,153
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Shahrekord 12,920 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Shahrekord

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 Shahrekord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shahrekord cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 210%, 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 $794 in Shahrekord. 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 Shahrekord, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $295 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Shahrekord?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Shahrekord. 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 Shahrekord?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $529 in Shahrekord. That makes Shahrekord about 68% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Shahrekord?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shahrekord, where all-in costs run around $529, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Shahrekord it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Shahrekord more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Shahrekord – 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 Shahrekord. 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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