Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $629 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tehran

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $629 in Tehran, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tehran $629

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,066 in Tehran, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tehran $1,066

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,503 in Tehran, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tehran $1,503

Medellin costs about 161% more than Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tehran is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.45 $3.45

134.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$16.28 $16.28

189.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.09 $4.09

132.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.32 $1.32

128.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.53 $0.53

239.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.72 $1.72

-18.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.71 $0.71

112.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.62 $0.62

283.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.34 $3.34

-47.01%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.26 $1.26

129.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.51 $4.51

125.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.36 $3.36

193.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.13 $10.13

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.38 $1.38

187.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.87 $1.87

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.14 $1.14

91.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.64 $0.64

240.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.55 $0.55

256.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.47 $0.47

238.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.53 $0.53

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.30 $0.30

313.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.53 $2.53

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.10 $0.10

1070.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$5.47 $5.47

1314.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.52 $0.52

144.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.29 $0.29

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.09 $3.09

176.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.09 $0.09

1400.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$51.0K $51.0K

-33.14%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$45.1K $45.1K

-23.09%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$12.88 $12.88

1217.16%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$1.60 $1.60

746.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$3.85 $3.85

629.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.27 $24.27

80.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$13.15 $13.15

30.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.95 $1.95

254.36%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$109 $109

634.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,557 $2,557

256.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$26.91 $26.91

214.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$37.60 $37.60

54.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$118 $118

14.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$71.7 $71.7

36.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$430 $430

180.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$269 $269

138.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$961 $961

110.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$628 $628

61.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,268 $1,268

228.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$717 $717

166.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$211 $211

212.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

24.79

-55.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tehran

$269 42.8% 58.1% $372

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tehran

$126 20.1% 57.4% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 91.3% $193

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tehran

$65 10.3% 61.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tehran

$114 18.2% 32.4% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tehran

$7.8 1.3% 91.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tehran

$28 4.5% 51% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $430 in Tehran. 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 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Tehran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $126 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Tehran 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 161%, 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 $943 in Tehran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tehran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $430 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Tehran. 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 $629 in Tehran. That makes Tehran about 62% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tehran, where all-in costs run around $629, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tehran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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