Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,371 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,371 per month in Novi Sad vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Novi Sad $1,371
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,114 per month in Novi Sad vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Novi Sad $2,114
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,856 per month in Novi Sad vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Novi Sad $2,856
Medellin $3,139

Novi Sad is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Novi Sad and Medellin sit above the global median – Novi Sad by 2%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 RSD 1,035

$8.01 COP 25.5K

23.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 RSD 5,177

$46.55 COP 148.3K

6.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 RSD 1,250

$9.43 COP 30.1K

27.25%

Cappuccino

$2.61 RSD 272

$2.91 COP 9,277

-10.31%

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

$2.32 RSD 242

$1.75 COP 5,585

32.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.32 COP 4,218

38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 RSD 303

$3.13 COP 9,969

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RSD 393

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-31.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.41 COP 4,495

-0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 RSD 98.9

$2.44 COP 7,777

-61.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 RSD 279

$1.63 COP 5,191

64.42%

Eggs

$2.54 RSD 265

$2.82 COP 8,990

-9.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 RSD 1,364

$9.69 COP 30.9K

35.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 RSD 783

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 RSD 1,495

$13.46 COP 42.9K

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 RSD 178

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-57.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 RSD 206

$1.48 COP 4,719

33.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.12 COP 6,768

-21.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 RSD 266

$2.25 COP 7,178

13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 RSD 105

$1.91 COP 6,092

-47.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RSD 70.8

$1.62 COP 5,160

-58.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RSD 100

$1.15 COP 3,658

-16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RSD 68.4

$1.26 COP 4,021

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 RSD 504

$3.82 COP 12.2K

26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RSD 777

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RSD 95.5

$1.60 COP 5,083

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RSD 230

$2.26 COP 7,188

-2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 RSD 103

$1.17 COP 3,731

-15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.45 RSD 2,547

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-67.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 RSD 243

$1.27 COP 4,056

83.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RSD 96.6

$2.05 COP 6,531

-54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.35 RSD 1,078

$8.20 COP 26.1K

26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.27 COP 4,046

44.09%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

14.77%

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

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-23.60%

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

$223 RSD 23.2K

$162 COP 516.9K

37.24%

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

$20.57 RSD 2,143

$13.12 COP 41.8K

56.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 RSD 3,459

$28.09 COP 89.5K

18.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 RSD 3,814

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-17.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 RSD 1,152

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-32.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 RSD 761

$6.09 COP 19.4K

19.87%

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

$372 RSD 38.7K

$764 COP 2.4M

-51.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 RSD 803.2K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-13.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$85.0 COP 270.8K

40.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.40 RSD 4,521

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-24.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.2K

$132 COP 419.8K

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 12.9K

$95.8 COP 305.1K

29.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 RSD 51.5K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-51.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RSD 42.2K

$604 COP 1.9M

-32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 RSD 99.5K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 RSD 78.5K

$993 COP 3.2M

-24.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 RSD 367.4K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-10.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 RSD 269.4K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

57.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 RSD 129.2K

$626 COP 2.0M

98.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

10.94

-52.38%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$405 29.2%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 49.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$276 19.9%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 26.4% $73

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 18.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$190 13.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 12.5% $24

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$186 13.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 10.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$51 3.7%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 10.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.6%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 158% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Novi Sad 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 98% higher in Novi Sad, 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 $50.0 in Novi Sad versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $244 in Novi Sad vs $288 in Medellin – so Novi Sad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

05:45 5:45 AM

7 h behind Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 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 RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novi Sad Medellin 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
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

Novi Sad vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,057 per month in Novi Sad 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 Novi Sad, 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 $50.0 in Novi Sad 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 $1,371 in Novi Sad and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Novi Sad, where all-in costs run around $1,371, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Novi Sad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novi Sad – 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 Novi Sad. 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.