Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Thiruvananthapuram

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $383 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Thiruvananthapuram

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Thiruvananthapuram

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $383 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Thiruvananthapuram $383

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $609 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Thiruvananthapuram $609

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $834 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Thiruvananthapuram $834

Medellin costs about 328% more than Thiruvananthapuram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Thiruvananthapuram is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.57 ₹244

214.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$10.35 ₹982

354.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.52 ₹334

169.89%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.84 ₹175

63.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.40 ₹37.65

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.17 ₹16.41

729.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.12 ₹201

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.68 ₹255

114.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.56 ₹53.4

169.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.54 ₹51.4

340.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.62 ₹58.7

185.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$0.88 ₹83.8

228.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.45 ₹518

86.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.82 ₹268

250.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.25 ₹214

76.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.79 ₹74.8

96.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.14 ₹108

91.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.48 ₹45.74

354.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.47 ₹44.91

317.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.46 ₹44.04

245.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.52 ₹49.49

121.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.28 ₹26.26

342.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.50 ₹427

-12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.35 ₹508

155.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.80 ₹171

-7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.06 ₹291

-26.14%

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

$5.00 ₹474

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.12 ₹11.42

875.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$3.00 ₹284

2479.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.75 ₹166

-27.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.25 ₹23.47

720.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.62 ₹249

226.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.12 ₹106

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

202.29%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.4K ₹2.9M

14.17%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$34.39 ₹3,265

393.31%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$3.32 ₹315

308.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$7.69 ₹730

265.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$14.29 ₹1,357

205.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$7.88 ₹748

118.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.13 ₹202

224.41%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$37.93 ₹3,601

2000.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,094 ₹198.8K

335.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$21.91 ₹2,080

286.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$18.18 ₹1,726

218.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$37.36 ₹3,547

261.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$27.31 ₹2,593

258.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$149 ₹14.2K

708.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$90.3 ₹8,573

610.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$313 ₹29.7K

547.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$204 ₹19.4K

394.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$782 ₹74.2K

433.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$513 ₹48.7K

272.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$238 ₹22.6K

175.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.31

6.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Thiruvananthapuram

$90 23.6% 85.9% $551

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Thiruvananthapuram

$104 27.1% 65% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Thiruvananthapuram

$45 11.8% 78.5% $166

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Thiruvananthapuram

$71 18.6% 57.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Thiruvananthapuram

$47 12.3% 72.1% $122

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Thiruvananthapuram

$6.5 1.7% 93.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Thiruvananthapuram

$19 4.8% 67.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $149 in Thiruvananthapuram. 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 2.8 times higher, 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 in Medellin versus $10 in Thiruvananthapuram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $104 – making Thiruvananthapuram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

744,983

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Thiruvananthapuram 16,560 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Thiruvananthapuram

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 Thiruvananthapuram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 328%, 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 $575 in Thiruvananthapuram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $149 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $10 in Thiruvananthapuram. 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 $383 in Thiruvananthapuram. That makes Thiruvananthapuram about 77% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Thiruvananthapuram, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Thiruvananthapuram it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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