Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ulaanbaatar

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Medellin costs about 38% more than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ulaanbaatar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

49.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

47.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

69.34%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.36 MNT 8,485

27.54%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.87 MNT 3,143

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.58 MNT 2,073

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.32 MNT 8,321

37.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

69.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.42 MNT 5,110

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.99 MNT 3,541

140.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.16 MNT 7,760

-18.06%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.07 MNT 7,441

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

-16.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

107.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

111.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.35 MNT 8,428

-34.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-41.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.70 MNT 2,525

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.04 MNT 3,723

52.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.72 MNT 6,182

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.79 MNT 2,836

56.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.63 MNT 5,867

142.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.45 MNT 5,200

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.75 MNT 6,307

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.27 MNT 958

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

364.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.51 MNT 1,844

149.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.55 MNT 1,986

272.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

31.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.16 MNT 4,182

16.38%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

26.10%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

-0.90%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

139.58%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

77.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

102.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

-36.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

-5.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

62.97%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$798 MNT 2.9M

-0.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

30.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$102 MNT 366.6K

32.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$186 MNT 668.4K

-47.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$636 MNT 2.3M

89.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$469 MNT 1.7M

36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$985 MNT 3.5M

2.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

138.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

87.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$589 MNT 2.1M

11.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.32

6.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 26.9% $173

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 21.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 56.3% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 33.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 10.7% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 77.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 34.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar. 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 12% 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 in Medellin versus $32 in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $233 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,001 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ulaanbaatar 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ulaanbaatar

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 Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,788 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulaanbaatar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $636 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Ulaanbaatar. 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 $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar. That makes Ulaanbaatar about 27% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ulaanbaatar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.