Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tula

For one person, living is cheaper in Tula: $912 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tula

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $896 in Tula, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Tula $896

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,470 in Tula, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Tula $1,470

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,044 in Tula, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Tula $2,044

Medellin costs about 81% more than Tula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tula is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$12.07 ₽1,007

-31.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$59.9 ₽5,002

-21.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.29 ₽608

26.75%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.93 ₽328

-22.39%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.62 ₽136

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.84 ₽70.4

64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$4.81 ₽401

-32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.99 ₽416

11.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.24 ₽103

20.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.06 ₽88.6

123.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.68 ₽140

1.19%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.94 ₽162

52.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$14.55 ₽1,214

-29.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.67 ₽557

46.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$12.13 ₽1,012

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.14 ₽179

92.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.88 ₽157

-18.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.06 ₽172

7.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.17 ₽348

-45.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.91 ₽76.1

118.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.71 ₽59.0

135.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.59 ₽133

-25.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.99 ₽82.3

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.51 ₽293

10.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$11.98 ₽999

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.25 ₽104

32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.66 ₽222

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.56 ₽46.98

121.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.85 ₽154

-30.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.86 ₽72.0

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$12.12 ₽1,012

-30.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.86 ₽71.6

56.98%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$43.2K ₽3.6M

-19.48%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$38.9K ₽3.2M

-10.73%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$165 ₽13.8K

0.83%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.76 ₽731

55.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$10.18 ₽850

186.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.46 ₽790

-26.32%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$848 ₽70.8K

-6.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$28.7K ₽2.4M

-68.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$114 ₽9,518

-23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$68.5 ₽5,720

-15.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$149 ₽12.5K

-6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$183 ₽15.3K

-46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

19.56

-44.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tula: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Tula

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Tula

$260 28.5% 12.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Tula

$184 20.2% 12% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Tula

$232 25.4% 34.2% $59

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Tula

$209 23% 22.6% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Tula

$8.4 * 0.9% 91.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Tula

$19 * 2.1% 67.9% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $59.0 in Tula. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $257 in Tula – so Tula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Tula

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

13:24 1:24 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

475,161

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tula 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tula

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 Tula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,344 in Tula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $59.0 in Tula. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tula, where all-in costs run around $896, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tula – 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 Tula. 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.