Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murmansk and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Murmansk: $1,095 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Murmansk
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Murmansk Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Murmansk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,095

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Murmansk 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 Murmansk and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,095 per month in Murmansk vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Murmansk $1,095
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Murmansk vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Murmansk $1,700
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Murmansk vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Murmansk $2,305
Medellin $3,186

Murmansk is about 33% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 ₽888

$8.09 COP 25.4K

36.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 ₽3,162

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-16.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ₽528

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-31.05%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ₽236

$3.01 COP 9,485

-2.99%

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

$1.21 ₽97.8

$1.80 COP 5,660

-32.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₽50.9

$1.41 COP 4,443

-55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 ₽130

$3.18 COP 9,990

-49.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₽266

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ₽92.6

$1.51 COP 4,751

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₽63.7

$2.38 COP 7,480

-66.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 ₽119

$1.77 COP 5,573

-16.95%

Eggs

$1.59 ₽128

$2.89 COP 9,093

-44.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 ₽956

$10.19 COP 32.1K

16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ₽436

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-45.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 ₽960

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-14.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₽150

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₽134

$1.55 COP 4,883

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ₽139

$2.18 COP 6,867

-21.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₽194

$2.18 COP 6,870

10.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₽64.3

$1.96 COP 6,174

-59.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₽48.61

$1.59 COP 5,000

-62.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ₽106

$1.15 COP 3,604

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽52.0

$1.24 COP 3,911

-47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 ₽270

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 ₽697

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₽87.3

$1.66 COP 5,221

-34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₽170

$2.26 COP 7,103

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 ₽52.1

$1.17 COP 3,674

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 ₽2,573

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-58.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 ₽209

$1.27 COP 3,989

103.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ₽30.55

$2.05 COP 6,442

-81.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 ₽483

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-30.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽66.7

$1.35 COP 4,237

-38.52%

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

$53.2K ₽4.3M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

56.17%

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

$41.0K ₽3.3M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

18.20%

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

$115 ₽9,294

$170 COP 533.7K

-32.07%

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

$6.73 ₽543

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-50.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.69 ₽701

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-69.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.42 ₽3,018

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-14.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.10 ₽1,943

$17.19 COP 54.1K

40.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₽524

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-6.08%

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

$362 ₽29.2K

$797 COP 2.5M

-54.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,537 ₽527.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-28.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 ₽6,838

$84.7 COP 266.5K

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 ₽4,344

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₽10.0K

$135 COP 424.6K

-7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₽8,601

$97.9 COP 307.9K

8.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₽38.9K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₽26.8K

$642 COP 2.0M

-48.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 ₽83.3K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-49.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 ₽46.0K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-43.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ₽183.2K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-45.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ₽122.8K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-20.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

10.94

96.07%

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

Last update for Murmansk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Murmansk

$332 30.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 93% $309

Groceries & Markets

Murmansk

$211 19.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 40.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Murmansk

$166 15.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.5% $2.6

Eating Out

Murmansk

$165 15.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 2.9% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Murmansk

$131 11.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 61.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Murmansk

$50 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Murmansk

$39 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 140% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Murmansk versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $39 in Murmansk versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $297 – making Murmansk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Murmansk

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

8 h behind Murmansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,851

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Murmansk Medellin 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Murmansk
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Murmansk vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,643 per month in Murmansk and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Murmansk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Murmansk and $47 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 $1,095 in Murmansk and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Murmansk about 33% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,095 in Murmansk and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Murmansk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Murmansk is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.