Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $799 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Surat

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $799 in Surat, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Surat $799

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $853 in Surat, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Surat $853

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $906 in Surat, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Surat $906

Medellin costs about 105% more than Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Surat is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.14 ₹298

157.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$10.59 ₹1,007

344.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$3.22 ₹306

195.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.76 ₹167

71.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.39 ₹37.19

361.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.14 ₹13.61

907.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.21 ₹305

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.39 ₹323

69.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.72 ₹68.3

109.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.46 ₹43.86

417.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.72 ₹68.6

145.83%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$0.90 ₹85.7

221.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.63 ₹440

120.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.74 ₹261

260.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.67 ₹159

137.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.57 ₹54.6

171.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.76 ₹72.0

186.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.55 ₹52.2

296.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.39 ₹36.84

402.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.43 ₹41.06

269.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.46 ₹44.22

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.30 ₹28.09

313.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.94 ₹470

-19.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.81 ₹743

75.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.86 ₹177

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$3.05 ₹290

-25.90%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.18 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.20 ₹19.02

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$3.21 ₹306

2310.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.56 ₹53.6

126.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.22 ₹20.94

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.08 ₹102

691.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.13 ₹108

19.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

199.60%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.3K ₹1.7M

89.20%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$36.87 ₹3,507

360.13%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$3.56 ₹338

280.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$7.44 ₹707

277.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$18.56 ₹1,765

135.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$5.45 ₹518

215.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$2.98 ₹284

131.88%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$32.79 ₹3,118

2329.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$937 ₹89.1K

872.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$22.65 ₹2,154

274.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$24.76 ₹2,354

134.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$40.73 ₹3,874

231.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$32.31 ₹3,073

202.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$208 ₹19.8K

480.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$484 ₹46.0K

32.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$387 ₹36.8K

423.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$241 ₹23.0K

319.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$645 ₹61.3K

546.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$364 ₹34.6K

425.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$319 ₹30.3K

105.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.17

19.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Surat

$484 60.6% 24.5% $157

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Surat

$102 12.8% 65.7% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Surat

$48 6% 77.3% $163

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Surat

$81 10.1% 52.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Surat

$54 6.8% 67.9% $115

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 93.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Surat

$25 3.1% 57.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $208 in Surat. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $11 in Surat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $102 – making Surat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

15:36 3:36 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Surat 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 105%, 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 $1,199 in Surat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $11 in Surat. 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 $799 in Surat. That’s a gap of about 105%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Surat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surat – 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 Surat. 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.