Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiraz and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $542 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Shiraz, Iran
Medellin, Colombia
Shiraz
🇮🇷 Iran
$542
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $542 per month in Shiraz vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Shiraz $542
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $813 per month in Shiraz vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Shiraz $813
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,084 per month in Shiraz vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Shiraz $1,084
  • Medellin $3,186

Shiraz is about 67% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shiraz sits 60% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 $4.63
$8.09 COP 25.6K
-42.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.20 $13.20
$47.05 COP 148.9K
-71.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.07 $4.07
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-57.16%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.98 $0.98
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 $1.80
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.21 $1.21
$3.01 COP 9,540
-59.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 $0.62
$1.80 COP 5,693
-65.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.41 COP 4,469
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.18 COP 10.0K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.75 COP 18.2K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.70 $0.70
$1.51 COP 4,778
-53.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.41 $0.41
$2.38 COP 7,524
-82.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.77 COP 5,606
6.21%
Eggs
$1.18 $1.18
$2.89 COP 9,146
-59.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.27 $2.27
$10.19 COP 32.2K
-77.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.98 $2.98
$9.87 COP 31.2K
-69.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.58 $9.58
$13.99 COP 44.3K
-31.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.11 $1.11
$3.97 COP 12.6K
-72.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.55 COP 4,911
-
Oranges (1kg)
$0.89 $0.89
$2.18 COP 6,907
-59.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.60 $0.60
$2.18 COP 6,910
-72.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.57 $0.57
$1.96 COP 6,210
-70.92%
Onion (1kg)
$0.52 $0.52
$1.59 COP 5,029
-67.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 $0.47
$1.15 COP 3,625
-59.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 $0.21
$1.24 COP 3,934
-83.06%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$0.89 $0.89
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 $0.60
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 $3.04
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-23.23%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.68 COP 43.3K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.66 COP 5,252
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.26 COP 7,145
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.11 $0.11
$1.17 COP 3,696
-90.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.95 $2.95
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-96.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.41 $0.41
$1.27 COP 4,013
-67.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 $0.20
$2.05 COP 6,480
-90.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 $3.43
$8.55 COP 27.1K
-59.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.35 COP 4,262
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$64.9K $64.9K
$34.1K COP 107.8M
90.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$53.3K $53.3K
$34.7K COP 109.7M
53.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.44 $23.44
$170 COP 536.8K
-86.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$1.98 $1.98
$13.55 COP 42.9K
-85.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.86 $16.86
$28.07 COP 88.8K
-39.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.75 $18.75
$43.70 COP 138.3K
-57.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.68 $13.68
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-20.42%
Cinema Ticket
$2.02 $2.02
$6.91 COP 21.9K
-70.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 $102
$797 COP 2.5M
-87.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,401 $2,401
$9,112 COP 28.8M
-73.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.72 $22.72
$84.7 COP 268.1K
-73.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.07 $18.07
$58.0 COP 183.4K
-68.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 $93.8
$135 COP 427.1K
-30.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.6 $55.6
$97.9 COP 309.7K
-43.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$293 $293
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-75.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$218 $218
$642 COP 2.0M
-66.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 $526
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-74.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$325 $325
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-67.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,127 $1,127
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-72.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$517 $517
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-72.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shiraz
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$243 $243
$657 COP 2.1M
-63.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
24.3
10.94
122.12%

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

Last update for Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shiraz
$218
Medellin
$642 195% $424
Groceries & Markets
Shiraz
$102
Medellin
$297 190% $195
Clothing & Footwear
Shiraz
$86
Medellin
$169 97.5% $83
Eating Out
Shiraz
$66 *
Medellin
$170 156% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shiraz
$42
Medellin
$211 400% $169
Sport & Entertainment
Shiraz
$23
Medellin
$58 152% $35
Getting Around
Shiraz
$4.8
Medellin
$94 1853% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Shiraz 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.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.7 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 $13 in Shiraz versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $297 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇷 Shiraz
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
09:58 9:58 AM
01:28 1:28 AM
8 h 30 min behind Shiraz
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,565,572
2,486,723
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shiraz Medellin 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shiraz
  • 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
Shiraz vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shiraz cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 203%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $813 per month in Shiraz and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Shiraz or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Shiraz and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Shiraz and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $542 in Shiraz and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Shiraz about 67% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Shiraz or in Medellin?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shiraz, where all-in costs run around $542, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Shiraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Shiraz or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Shiraz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Shiraz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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