Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $510 in Thimphu, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Thimphu $510

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $799 in Thimphu, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Thimphu $799

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $1,088 in Thimphu, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Thimphu $1,088

Medellin costs about 212% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Thimphu is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$2.56 BTN 248

212.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$14.16 BTN 1,371

228.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$4.89 BTN 474

92.84%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$1.31 BTN 127

122.14%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$0.49 BTN 47.08

257.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$0.17 BTN 16.46

676.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.55 BTN 247

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$1.60 BTN 155

246.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$0.77 BTN 74.7

83.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$1.06 BTN 102

130.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$1.03 BTN 100

58.25%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$1.84 BTN 179

53.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$3.69 BTN 357

162.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$4.01 BTN 388

132.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$4.01 BTN 389

235.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$2.51 BTN 243

59.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$1.56 BTN 151

-5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$1.57 BTN 152

35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$0.71 BTN 68.6

216.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$0.56 BTN 54.2

241.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$0.70 BTN 68.3

131.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.39 BTN 37.98

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$0.31 BTN 30.20

306.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$3.81 BTN 369

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$2.91 BTN 282

350.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$0.62 BTN 60.5

158.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$1.31 BTN 127

72.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.76 BTN 73.5

53.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$5.18 BTN 502

1348.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$0.75 BTN 72.6

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$1.52 BTN 147

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$0.16 BTN 15.50

5025.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$0.76 BTN 73.3

67.11%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

59.84%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

128.64%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$34.28 BTN 3,319

373.19%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$35.89 BTN 3,475

-63.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$24.76 BTN 2,398

13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$46.99 BTN 4,550

-5.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$7.41 BTN 718

120.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$3.17 BTN 307

92.11%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$45.87 BTN 4,442

1566.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$576 BTN 55.7K

1446.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$50.3 BTN 4,872

68.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$25.08 BTN 2,429

129.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$67.8 BTN 6,566

94.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$14.29 BTN 1,383

570.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$126 BTN 12.2K

714.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$86.0 BTN 8,324

603.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$187 BTN 18.1K

861.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$156 BTN 15.1K

535.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$6,543 BTN 633.6K

-40.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$384 BTN 37.2K

326.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$351 BTN 34.0K

78.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Thimphu

$86 16.7% 85.8% $519

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Thimphu

$125 24.2% 56.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Thimphu

$95 18.4% 53.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.7% 57.4% $96

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Thimphu

$69 13.5% 58.2% $97

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 81.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Thimphu

$53 10.3% 5.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $126 in Thimphu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $14.00 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $125 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

13:21 1:21 PM

11 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.33 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.83 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Thimphu 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 212%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $764 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thimphu, 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 $14.00 in Thimphu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $510 in Thimphu. That's a gap of about 212%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thimphu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Thimphu. 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.