Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Varkala

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $608 in Varkala, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Varkala $608

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $833 in Varkala, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Varkala $833

Medellin costs about 342% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Varkala is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.28 ₹216

265.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$10.35 ₹978

349.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.45 ₹326

174.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.57 ₹149

99.36%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.37 ₹35.19

378.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.18 ₹16.55

688.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.76 ₹166

78.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.13 ₹295

82.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$0.71 ₹67.4

115.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.45 ₹42.46

408.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$0.66 ₹62.2

193.94%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$0.89 ₹84.2

244.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.87 ₹460

105.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$2.99 ₹282

249.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.05 ₹194

97.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$0.74 ₹70.1

106.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$0.98 ₹92.6

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$0.54 ₹50.8

324.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$0.38 ₹35.97

455.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$0.43 ₹40.23

297.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.45 ₹42.20

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.32 ₹30.08

393.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.89 ₹367

0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$7.48 ₹706

87.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.69 ₹160

4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.76 ₹261

-1.81%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.28 ₹26.35

321.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$8.77 ₹829

769.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$0.83 ₹78.4

118.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.25 ₹23.36

752.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$1.43 ₹135

468.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.16 ₹110

10.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

149.56%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

53.44%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$38.26 ₹3,614

364.53%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$3.52 ₹332

294.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$7.13 ₹673

331.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$15.61 ₹1,475

168.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$7.10 ₹671

136.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.85 ₹269

162.11%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$51.9 ₹4,905

1421.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,542 ₹145.7K

697.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$24.46 ₹2,311

252.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$24.88 ₹2,351

138.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$41.84 ₹3,953

230.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$30.94 ₹2,922

219.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$123 ₹11.6K

988.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$75.4 ₹7,127

784.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$274 ₹25.8K

622.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$179 ₹16.9K

477.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,051 ₹99.3K

289.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$599 ₹56.6K

223.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.67

26.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 88.7% $592

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 65.8% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 78% $173

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 62.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 68.1% $117

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 87.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 62.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $123 in Varkala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $10 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $105 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

50,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 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 Varkala 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 342%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $574 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $10 in Varkala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $383 in Varkala. That makes Varkala about 77% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varkala, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Varkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 77% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.