Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Thoothukudi

For one person, living is cheaper in Thoothukudi: $325 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Thoothukudi, India
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Thoothukudi
🇮🇳 India
$325
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Thoothukudi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $325 in Thoothukudi, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Thoothukudi $325

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $549 in Thoothukudi, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Thoothukudi $549

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $774 in Thoothukudi, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Thoothukudi $774

Medellin costs about 404% more than Thoothukudi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Thoothukudi is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$1.22 ₹116
563.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$8.57 ₹813
449.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$3.78 ₹359
151.32%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$1.35 ₹129
122.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.43 ₹40.43
318.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$0.14 ₹13.05
907.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.68 ₹160
89.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.13 ₹202
169.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$0.61 ₹58.2
147.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$0.41 ₹38.83
480.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$0.57 ₹54.4
210.53%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$0.68 ₹64.5
325.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$3.35 ₹318
204.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$2.69 ₹255
266.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.05 ₹195
93.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$0.70 ₹66.6
121.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$1.05 ₹99.8
107.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$0.48 ₹45.66
354.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$0.37 ₹34.82
429.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$0.47 ₹44.36
238.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$0.52 ₹49.78
121.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.31 ₹29.53
300.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$4.98 ₹473
-20.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$7.77 ₹738
76.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.14 ₹108
45.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$1.48 ₹141
52.70%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$3.06 ₹291
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
$0.50 ₹47.94
134.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$15.79 ₹1,499
389.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$0.51 ₹48.77
149.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$0.15 ₹14.13
1266.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$1.18 ₹112
624.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,349
$1.14 ₹108
18.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$10.5K ₹996.6K
224.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$14.5K ₹1.4M
139.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$32.38 ₹3,074
423.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$3.09 ₹293
338.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$6.84 ₹649
310.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$18.69 ₹1,775
133.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$1.84 ₹174
834.24%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$1.57 ₹149
340.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$41.53 ₹3,943
1818.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$1,897 ₹180.1K
380.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$25.58 ₹2,428
231.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$17.38 ₹1,650
233.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$19.89 ₹1,889
578.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$26.57 ₹2,523
268.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$97.9 ₹9,299
1133.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$57.7 ₹5,476
1012.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$371 ₹35.2K
446.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$214 ₹20.3K
373.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Thoothukudi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$279 ₹26.5K
135.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
8.6
27.21%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Thoothukudi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Thoothukudi
$58 91% $584
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Thoothukudi
$92 69.1% $205
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Thoothukudi
$42 80% $169
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Thoothukudi
$52 69.2% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Thoothukudi
$40 76.2% $129
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Thoothukudi
$19 79.6% $74
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Thoothukudi
$22 62.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $98 in Thoothukudi. 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 2.4 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 $9 in Thoothukudi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $92 – making Thoothukudi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇳 Thoothukudi
🕒 Local time
03:10 3:10 AM
13:40 1:40 PM
10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
100,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 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 = 9.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Thoothukudi 16,660 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Thoothukudi

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 Thoothukudi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thoothukudi cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 404%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $488 in Thoothukudi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thoothukudi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $98 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Thoothukudi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $9 in Thoothukudi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Thoothukudi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $325 in Thoothukudi. That makes Thoothukudi about 80% cheaper.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Thoothukudi?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Thoothukudi, where all-in costs run around $325, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Thoothukudi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Thoothukudi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Thoothukudi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Thoothukudi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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