Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vijayawada

For one person, living is cheaper in Vijayawada: $395 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Vijayawada, India
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Vijayawada
🇮🇳 India
$395
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vijayawada

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $395 in Vijayawada, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Vijayawada $395

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $639 in Vijayawada, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Vijayawada $639

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $883 in Vijayawada, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Vijayawada $883

Medellin costs about 315% more than Vijayawada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Vijayawada is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$1.55 ₹147
421.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$8.75 ₹831
437.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$4.52 ₹430
110.18%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$3.63 ₹345
-17.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.41 ₹38.80
339.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.16 ₹15.10
781.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$1.92 ₹182
65.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$2.28 ₹217
152.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$0.76 ₹72.5
98.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$0.54 ₹51.1
340.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$0.62 ₹59.1
185.48%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$0.77 ₹73.0
275.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$6.35 ₹603
60.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$2.57 ₹244
284.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.82 ₹172
118.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$0.72 ₹68.7
115.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$0.80 ₹76.1
172.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$0.43 ₹40.91
406.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$0.37 ₹35.42
429.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$0.46 ₹43.51
245.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$0.64 ₹61.1
79.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.31 ₹29.65
300.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$5.07 ₹481
-21.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$7.29 ₹692
87.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$1.86 ₹176
-10.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$3.12 ₹296
-27.56%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$3.39 ₹322
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$0.31 ₹29.76
277.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$6.69 ₹635
1056.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$1.62 ₹154
-21.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$0.43 ₹40.70
376.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$2.08 ₹197
311.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.08 ₹102
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$11.4K ₹1.1M
199.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$20.5K ₹2.0M
68.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$32.67 ₹3,102
419.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$3.26 ₹309
315.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$7.76 ₹737
261.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$16.02 ₹1,521
172.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$11.08 ₹1,052
55.14%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$3.13 ₹297
120.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$69.2 ₹6,568
1051.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$1,951 ₹185.3K
366.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$17.87 ₹1,697
374.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$18.78 ₹1,783
208.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$38.78 ₹3,682
248.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$35.32 ₹3,354
177.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$120 ₹11.4K
910.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$74.3 ₹7,058
762.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$273 ₹25.9K
643.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$206 ₹19.5K
392.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$680 ₹64.5K
513.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$418 ₹39.6K
357.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Vijayawada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$305 ₹29.0K
115.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
10.2
7.25%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vijayawada: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Vijayawada
$74 88.4% $567
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Vijayawada
$108 63.7% $189
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Vijayawada
$44 79.3% $168
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Vijayawada
$86 49.3% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Vijayawada
$50 70.5% $119
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Vijayawada
$12 87.5% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Vijayawada
$22 61.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $120 in Vijayawada. 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 2.2 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 Vijayawada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $108 – making Vijayawada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇳 Vijayawada
🕒 Local time
03:07 3:07 AM
13:37 1:37 PM
10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,048,240
💱 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 = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Vijayawada 16,370 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Vijayawada

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 Vijayawada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vijayawada cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 315%, 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 $593 in Vijayawada. 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 Vijayawada, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $120 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Vijayawada?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $9 in Vijayawada. 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 Vijayawada?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $395 in Vijayawada. That makes Vijayawada about 76% cheaper.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Vijayawada?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Vijayawada, where all-in costs run around $395, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Vijayawada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Vijayawada more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Vijayawada – 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 Vijayawada. 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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