Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $898 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ulyanovsk

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $898 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Ulyanovsk $898

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,386 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Ulyanovsk $1,386

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,874 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Ulyanovsk $1,874

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.40 ₽701

-1.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$30.41 ₽2,538

54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.44 ₽538

43.48%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.29 ₽191

33.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.93 ₽77.8

93.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.36 ₽29.97

283.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.76 ₽147

84.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.96 ₽164

183.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.04 ₽86.9

44.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.62 ₽51.3

282.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.04 ₽87.2

63.46%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.49 ₽124

98.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$14.58 ₽1,217

-29.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.43 ₽620

31.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.35 ₽613

89.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.59 ₽133

159.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.55 ₽129

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.05 ₽338

-45.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.90 ₽409

-53.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.49 ₽124

33.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.84 ₽70.0

98.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.53 ₽44.15

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.09 ₽258

25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.07 ₽89.2

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.44 ₽36.70

181.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.52 ₽294

-63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.61 ₽301

131.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.87 ₽72.5

55.17%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$53.4K ₽4.5M

-34.87%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-15.32%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$141 ₽11.8K

18.00%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$4.81 ₽401

183.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$13.69 ₽1,143

112.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$36.46 ₽3,043

23.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$24.86 ₽2,075

-30.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.51 ₽711

-18.10%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$30.17 ₽2,518

191.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$35.74 ₽2,983

62.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$95.2 ₽7,942

46.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$59.7 ₽4,979

65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$362 ₽30.2K

184.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$243 ₽20.3K

154.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$493 ₽41.1K

281.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$431 ₽36.0K

133.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,620 ₽218.7K

52.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,519 ₽126.7K

12.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$509 ₽42.5K

30.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-52.43%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Ulyanovsk

$243 27.1% 60.8% $376

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Ulyanovsk

$205 * 22.9% 31% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Ulyanovsk

$160 17.8% 23.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.1% 42.5% $73

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Ulyanovsk

$132 14.7% 22.8% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6% 94.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Ulyanovsk

$53 6% 9.4% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $362 in Ulyanovsk. 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 30% 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 $30.00 in Ulyanovsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $205 – making Ulyanovsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

627,705

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Medellin Ulyanovsk 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ulyanovsk

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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,347 in Ulyanovsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulyanovsk, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $30.00 in Ulyanovsk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulyanovsk, where all-in costs run around $898, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Ulyanovsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulyanovsk – 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 Ulyanovsk. 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.