Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $1,073 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shakhty

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,073 in Shakhty, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shakhty $1,073

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,683 in Shakhty, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shakhty $1,683

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,293 in Shakhty, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shakhty $2,293

Medellin costs about 53% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shakhty is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$11.55 ₽932

-29.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$37.49 ₽3,024

25.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.29 ₽507

51.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.71 ₽218

11.07%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.12 ₽90.2

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.62 ₽50.0

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.77 ₽143

79.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.06 ₽247

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.12 ₽90.1

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.75 ₽60.4

217.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.38 ₽111

28.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.56 ₽125

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.22 ₽905

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.41 ₽436

82.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.57 ₽933

20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.78 ₽144

123.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.79 ₽144

-13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.75 ₽141

24.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.78 ₽224

-21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.78 ₽63.3

151.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.62 ₽49.87

156.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.30 ₽105

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.71 ₽57.3

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.02 ₽244

31.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.73 ₽623

76.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.11 ₽89.9

49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.99 ₽161

13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.53 ₽42.60

120.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$27.94 ₽2,253

176.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.36 ₽191

-46.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.38 ₽30.39

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.90 ₽476

44.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.82 ₽66.2

64.63%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$52.2K ₽4.2M

-34.72%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$39.9K ₽3.2M

-13.19%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$123 ₽9,905

38.13%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.27 ₽506

116.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$8.60 ₽693

226.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$36.16 ₽2,916

20.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$23.72 ₽1,913

-27.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.28 ₽506

10.03%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$357 ₽28.8K

122.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,390 ₽515.4K

42.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$82.4 ₽6,642

2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$53.0 ₽4,275

9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$121 ₽9,776

11.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$106 ₽8,524

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$481 ₽38.8K

151.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$315 ₽25.4K

103.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$900 ₽72.5K

125.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$584 ₽47.1K

73.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,280 ₽183.9K

82.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,516 ₽122.3K

26.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.45

-49.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shakhty

$315 29.4% 50.9% $326

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shakhty

$209 19.4% 29.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shakhty

$138 12.8% 34.8% $74

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shakhty

$166 15.4% 2.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shakhty

$163 15.2% 3.5% $6

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shakhty

$34 3.2% 63.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shakhty

$49 4.5% 15.3% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $481 in Shakhty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $37 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $209 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

235,492

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Shakhty 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, 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 $1,610 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shakhty, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Shakhty. 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 $1,073 in Shakhty. That makes Shakhty about 35% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,073 in Shakhty, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shakhty – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Shakhty is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.