Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $542 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
Learn more

Shiraz Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shiraz

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $542 in Shiraz, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shiraz $542

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $813 in Shiraz, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shiraz $813

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,084 in Shiraz, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shiraz $1,084

Medellin costs about 203% more than Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shiraz is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$4.63 $4.63

74.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$13.20 $13.20

256.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.07 $4.07

133.42%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 $0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.21 $1.21

148.76%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.62 $0.62

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.70 $0.70

115.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.41 $0.41

480.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.88 $1.88

-5.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.18 $1.18

144.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$2.27 $2.27

348.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$2.98 $2.98

231.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.58 $9.58

46.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.11 $1.11

257.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.55 $1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.89 $0.89

144.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.60 $0.60

263.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.57 $0.57

243.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.52 $0.52

205.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.21 $0.21

490.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.89 $0.89

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.04 $3.04

30.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.11 $0.11

963.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$2.95 $2.95

2522.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.41 $0.41

209.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.20 $0.20

925.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$3.43 $3.43

149.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$64.9K $64.9K

-47.50%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$53.3K $53.3K

-34.97%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$23.44 $23.44

623.76%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$1.98 $1.98

584.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$16.86 $16.86

66.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$18.75 $18.75

133.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$13.68 $13.68

25.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$2.02 $2.02

242.08%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$102 $102

680.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$2,401 $2,401

279.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$22.72 $22.72

272.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$18.07 $18.07

220.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$93.8 $93.8

43.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$55.6 $55.6

76.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$293 $293

311.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$218 $218

194.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$526 $526

285.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$325 $325

211.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,127 $1,127

270.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$517 $517

269.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$243 $243

170.80%

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 Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shiraz

$218 40.2% 66.1% $424

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shiraz

$102 18.9% 65.5% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shiraz

$42 7.8% 80% $169

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shiraz

$66 * 12.2% 60.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shiraz

$86 15.8% 49.4% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 94.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 60.4% $35

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 $293 in Shiraz. 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, 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 $13 in Shiraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $102 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

11:02 11:02 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,565,572

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Shiraz 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 203%, 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 $813 in Shiraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $13 in Shiraz. 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 $542 in Shiraz. That makes Shiraz about 67% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shiraz, where all-in costs run around $542, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Shiraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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