Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanandaj and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanandaj: $403 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Sanandaj
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Sanandaj Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sanandaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$403

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $403 per month in Sanandaj vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanandaj $403
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $666 per month in Sanandaj vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanandaj $666
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $929 per month in Sanandaj vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanandaj $929
Medellin $3,249

Sanandaj is about 76% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sanandaj sits 70% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 $3.20

$8.34 COP 26.8K

-61.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.15 $16.15

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-65.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 $4.01

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-57.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$1.02 $1.02

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-67.41%

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

$0.63 $0.63

$1.77 COP 5,681

-64.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.42 COP 4,582

-28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.53 COP 4,930

-50.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 $0.68

$2.29 COP 7,370

-70.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.94 COP 6,257

1.55%

Eggs

$0.99 $0.99

$3.07 COP 9,864

-67.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-55.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-73.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-27.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-73.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.53 COP 4,916

-3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.10 COP 6,769

-57.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$2.29 COP 7,378

-68.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.11 COP 6,785

-65.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.71 COP 5,498

-54.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.17 COP 3,764

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.58 COP 5,083

-79.11%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-34.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 $0.13

$1.18 COP 3,795

-88.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 $9.70

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-87.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 $0.39

$1.81 COP 5,812

-78.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.13 COP 6,849

-86.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-68.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.28 COP 4,102

-92.97%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

45.29%

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

$46.4K $46.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

36.06%

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

$10.14 $10.14

$178 COP 571.7K

-94.29%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$13.89 COP 44.7K

-78.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.95 $3.95

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-87.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.97 $5.97

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-85.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.64 $13.64

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-18.81%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 $1.02

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-86.35%

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

$107 $107

$790 COP 2.5M

-86.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,390 $2,390

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-80.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.96 $15.96

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-81.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.18 $28.18

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-52.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 $63.5

$138 COP 445.0K

-54.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 $72.7

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-26.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 $156

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-88.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 $113

$667 COP 2.1M

-83.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 $333

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-83.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 $199

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-80.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 $800

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-80.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$287 $287

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-85.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 $252

$646 COP 2.1M

-60.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

101.10%

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

Last update for Sanandaj: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanandaj

$116 28.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 166% $192

Accommodation & Living

Sanandaj

$113 28%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 492% $554

Clothing & Footwear

Sanandaj

$81 20.1%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 112% $91

Eating Out

Sanandaj

$56 14%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 206% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanandaj

$17 4.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 1206% $205

Getting Around

Sanandaj

$12 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 676% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Sanandaj

$8 2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 609% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Sanandaj versus $1,341 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 in Medellin are about 2.6 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 $16 in Sanandaj versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $116 vs $307 – making Sanandaj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Sanandaj

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

8 h 30 min behind Sanandaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

412,767

2,486,723

💱 Currency

USD USD

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanandaj Medellin 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanandaj
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

Sanandaj vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 320%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $604 per month in Sanandaj and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanandaj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Sanandaj 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 $403 in Sanandaj and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Sanandaj about 76% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sanandaj, where all-in costs run around $403, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Sanandaj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sanandaj. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.