Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zugdidi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zugdidi: $701 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zugdidi
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Zugdidi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Zugdidi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zugdidi

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $701 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Zugdidi $701

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,134 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Zugdidi $1,134

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,567 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Zugdidi $1,567

Medellin costs about 132% more than Zugdidi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zugdidi is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$11.18 ₾28.93

-25.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$31.24 ₾80.9

50.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.92 ₾15.32

56.08%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.48 ₾9.01

-12.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.54 ₾1.41

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.26 ₾0.67

430.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.69 ₾6.96

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.15 ₾8.15

76.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.15 ₾5.56

-30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.79 ₾2.05

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.81 ₾4.69

-6.08%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.75 ₾7.13

7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.31 ₾24.10

9.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.39 ₾16.53

52.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.12 ₾33.95

5.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.61 ₾4.17

156.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.86 ₾4.82

-17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.93 ₾5.00

15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.39 ₾6.19

-5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.88 ₾2.28

126.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.69 ₾1.80

142.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.42 ₾3.67

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.47 ₾1.23

163.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.41 ₾8.82

13.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.85 ₾20.32

75.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.71 ₾4.42

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.30 ₾5.95

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.18 ₾0.46

588.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.14 ₾2.96

12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.74 ₾1.91

190.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$11.84 ₾30.65

-29.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.92 ₾2.37

46.74%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$18.3K ₾47.5K

89.53%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$21.6K ₾55.9K

60.56%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$89.5 ₾232

86.14%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$12.90 ₾33.40

5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$19.38 ₾50.2

50.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$24.73 ₾64.0

82.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.72 ₾12.23

47.67%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$374 ₾968

111.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.7K ₾27.8K

-15.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$23.62 ₾61.1

271.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$39.47 ₾102

47.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$118 ₾305

17.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$126 ₾326

-21.37%

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

$268 ₾694

147.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.62

-13.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zugdidi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Zugdidi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Zugdidi

$230 32.8% 22.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Zugdidi

$122 17.4% 41.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Zugdidi

$138 19.7% 20.1% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Zugdidi

$172 24.5% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Zugdidi

$5.6 * 0.8% 94.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Zugdidi

$34 4.9% 42.1% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 148% 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 $31.00 in Zugdidi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $230 – making Zugdidi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇪 Zugdidi

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

41,332

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, 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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Zugdidi 11,710 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zugdidi

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 Zugdidi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 132%, 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 $1,052 in Zugdidi. 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 $31.00 in Zugdidi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Zugdidi, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Zugdidi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zugdidi – 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 Zugdidi. 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.