Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sterlitamak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sterlitamak: $1,105 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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 Sterlitamak
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Sterlitamak Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Sterlitamak

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sterlitamak

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,105 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Sterlitamak $1,105

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,697 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Sterlitamak $1,697

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,289 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Sterlitamak $2,289

Medellin costs about 47% more than Sterlitamak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sterlitamak is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$9.19 ₽767

-9.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$35.64 ₽2,975

31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.36 ₽697

10.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.11 ₽260

-1.93%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.13 ₽94.4

59.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.35 ₽29.21

294.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.37 ₽198

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.86 ₽239

94.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.06 ₽88.3

41.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.72 ₽59.8

229.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.49 ₽124

14.09%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.41 ₽118

109.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$14.51 ₽1,211

-29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.49 ₽375

116.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.72 ₽645

80.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$0.77 ₽64.5

436.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.30 ₽108

17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.32 ₽110

68.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.42 ₽202

-6.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.81 ₽67.4

145.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.56 ₽46.65

198.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.76 ₽63.5

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.73 ₽61.1

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.34 ₽279

15.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.74 ₽562

104.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.22 ₽102

36.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.10 ₽259

-22.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.52 ₽43.03

138.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.01 ₽251

-57.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.37 ₽30.74

481.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.43 ₽620

12.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.86 ₽71.4

56.98%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$53.5K ₽4.5M

-35.07%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$41.3K ₽3.4M

-15.97%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$152 ₽12.7K

9.78%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.50 ₽542

109.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$8.00 ₽667

264.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.57 ₽3,135

20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$24.60 ₽2,053

-30.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.91 ₽493

17.94%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$303 ₽25.3K

160.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$5,898 ₽492.3K

53.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$50.6 ₽4,221

73.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$69.4 ₽5,794

-16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$165 ₽13.8K

-15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$145 ₽12.1K

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$437 ₽36.4K

135.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$341 ₽28.5K

81.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$767 ₽64.1K

145.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$619 ₽51.6K

62.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,070 ₽172.8K

92.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,673 ₽139.6K

1.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

23.33

-53.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sterlitamak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Sterlitamak

$341 30.9% 44.9% $278

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Sterlitamak

$189 17.1% 36.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Sterlitamak

$166 15% 20.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Sterlitamak

$193 17.5% 11.9% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Sterlitamak

$159 14.4% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Sterlitamak

$6.9 * 0.6% 92.7% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Sterlitamak

$49 4.5% 16.3% $9.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $437 in Sterlitamak. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $36.00 in Sterlitamak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $189 – making Sterlitamak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Sterlitamak

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

03:09 3:09 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

277,410

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Sterlitamak 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sterlitamak

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 Sterlitamak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,658 in Sterlitamak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sterlitamak, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $36.00 in Sterlitamak. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sterlitamak, where all-in costs run around $1,105, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sterlitamak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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