Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Minsk and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Minsk: $1,033 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Minsk
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Minsk Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

$1,033

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Minsk and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Minsk and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Minsk vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Minsk $1,033
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $1,661 per month in Minsk vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Minsk $1,661
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,288 per month in Minsk vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Minsk $2,288
Medellin $3,139

Minsk is about 35% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Minsk sits 23% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 BYN 29.23

$8.01 COP 25.5K

20.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.33 BYN 146

$46.55 COP 148.3K

3.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 BYN 20.54

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-27.89%

Cappuccino

$2.38 BYN 7.17

$2.91 COP 9,277

-18.21%

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

$0.97 BYN 2.94

$1.75 COP 5,585

-44.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 BYN 1.85

$1.32 COP 4,218

-53.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 BYN 4.83

$3.13 COP 9,969

-48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 BYN 7.63

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-54.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 BYN 2.66

$1.41 COP 4,495

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 BYN 1.97

$2.44 COP 7,777

-73.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 BYN 3.96

$1.63 COP 5,191

-19.63%

Eggs

$1.65 BYN 4.98

$2.82 COP 8,990

-41.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 BYN 23.32

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-20.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 BYN 15.95

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-43.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 BYN 32.68

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 BYN 4.74

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-60.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 BYN 5.00

$1.48 COP 4,719

12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 BYN 6.65

$2.12 COP 6,768

3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 BYN 8.23

$2.25 COP 7,178

21.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 BYN 1.88

$1.91 COP 6,092

-67.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 BYN 2.14

$1.62 COP 5,160

-56.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 BYN 4.23

$1.15 COP 3,658

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 BYN 1.95

$1.26 COP 4,021

-48.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 BYN 8.11

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 BYN 25.40

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 BYN 2.98

$1.60 COP 5,083

-38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 BYN 6.01

$2.26 COP 7,188

-11.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 BYN 1.07

$1.17 COP 3,731

-70.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.31 BYN 55.3

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-75.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BYN 5.03

$1.27 COP 4,056

31.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 BYN 1.53

$2.05 COP 6,531

-75.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 BYN 30.27

$8.20 COP 26.1K

22.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 BYN 2.69

$1.27 COP 4,046

-29.92%

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

$21.1K BYN 63.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-21.29%

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

$22.3K BYN 67.5K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-35.07%

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

$62.4 BYN 188

$162 COP 516.9K

-61.54%

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

$8.59 BYN 25.95

$13.12 COP 41.8K

-34.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.32 BYN 40.23

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-52.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 BYN 113

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-15.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.95 BYN 63.3

$16.33 COP 52.0K

28.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 BYN 17.35

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-5.75%

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

$399 BYN 1,204

$764 COP 2.4M

-47.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K BYN 73.9K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

174.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 BYN 156

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-39.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.14 BYN 133

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-23.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BYN 322

$132 COP 419.8K

-19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BYN 323

$95.8 COP 305.1K

11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 BYN 1,786

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-42.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 BYN 1,154

$604 COP 1.9M

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 BYN 3,061

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 BYN 2,112

$993 COP 3.2M

-29.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 BYN 7,592

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-35.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,632 BYN 4,928

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-0.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 BYN 2,856

$626 COP 2.0M

51.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.92

10.94

45.52%

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

Last update for Minsk: October 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Minsk

$382 37.6%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 58.2% $222

Groceries & Markets

Minsk

$192 18.9%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 50.4% $97

Eating Out

Minsk

$146 14.3%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 14.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Minsk

$139 13.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 19.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Minsk

$84 8.3%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 141% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Minsk

$49 4.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 15.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Minsk

$24 2.4%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 281% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $591 in Minsk versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 51% higher in Minsk, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Minsk versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Minsk vs $288 in Medellin – so Minsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇾 Minsk

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

8 h behind Minsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,992,862 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BYN = 0.331 USD

1 BYN = 0.295 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BYN – Belarusian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇾 Belarusian Ruble (Br)

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.02 BYN (1 BYN = 0.331 USD). 1 EUR = 3.38 BYN (1 BYN = 0.295 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to BYN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Minsk Medellin 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Minsk
Medellin

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

Minsk vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Minsk and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Minsk and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,033 in Minsk and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 54%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Minsk, where all-in costs run around $1,033, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Minsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Minsk – 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 Minsk. 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.