Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tartus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $635 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Tartus
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Tartus Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Tartus

🇸🇾 Syria

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tartus

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $635 in Tartus, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Tartus $635

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $988 in Tartus, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Tartus $988

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,340 in Tartus, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Tartus $1,340

Medellin costs about 166% more than Tartus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tartus is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.13 SYP 1,231

-17.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$41.75 SYP 5,072

11.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.80 SYP 827

39.26%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.79 SYP 461

-17.41%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$2.22 SYP 269

-20.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.83 SYP 101

71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.94 SYP 236

62.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.09 SYP 497

39.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$0.44 SYP 53.9

247.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.44 SYP 53.9

420.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.74 SYP 90.3

162.16%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$0.81 SYP 98.8

279.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$3.95 SYP 480

152.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.05 SYP 370

242.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.97 SYP 1,698

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.04 SYP 126

289.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.37 SYP 166

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.15 SYP 140

82.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.22 SYP 26.66

940.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.22 SYP 26.73

859.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.29 SYP 35.82

489.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.43 SYP 52.7

172.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.61 SYP 74.7

159.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.65 SYP 322

47.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.93 SYP 599

184.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.15 SYP 140

53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.86 SYP 347

-5.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.33 SYP 39.53

257.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$1.01 SYP 123

79.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.49 SYP 182

42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.85 SYP 954

3.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$3.67 SYP 446

-65.12%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

128.29%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

78.48%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$139 SYP 16.9K

27.42%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.52 SYP 1,157

45.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.33 SYP 2,470

51.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$5.64 SYP 685

643.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.47 SYP 664

36.56%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$9.54 SYP 1,160

8181.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,756 SYP 213.3K

600.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$11.34 SYP 1,378

661.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$40.40 SYP 4,909

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$46.48 SYP 5,648

197.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$15.39 SYP 1,870

542.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$117 SYP 14.2K

1047.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$76.7 SYP 9,319

769.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$232 SYP 28.2K

751.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$113 SYP 13.8K

810.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$49.39 SYP 6,001

1208.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.25

-23.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tartus: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Tartus

$77 12.1% 88.5% $590

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Tartus

$135 21.2% 56.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Tartus

$169 26.7% 23.8% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Tartus

$177 27.9% 2.6% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Tartus

$51 8.1% 70.3% $121

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Tartus

$9.8 * 1.5% 89.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Tartus

$17 2.6% 70.9% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $117 in Tartus. 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 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $42 in Tartus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $135 – making Tartus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇾 Tartus

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,769

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Tartus 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tartus

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 Tartus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $953 in Tartus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tartus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $117 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Tartus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tartus, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tartus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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