Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,192
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,911 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,911
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $2,630
Medellin $3,186

Ulaanbaatar is about 27% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ulaanbaatar sits 12% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-33.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-32.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-40.95%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,485

$3.01 COP 9,485

-21.59%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,143

$1.80 COP 5,660

-51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MNT 2,073

$1.41 COP 4,443

-58.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MNT 8,321

$3.18 COP 9,990

-27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-40.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MNT 5,110

$1.51 COP 4,751

-5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,541

$2.38 COP 7,480

-58.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 MNT 7,760

$1.77 COP 5,573

22.03%

Eggs

$2.07 MNT 7,441

$2.89 COP 9,093

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-51.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-52.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 MNT 8,428

$1.55 COP 4,883

51.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

$2.18 COP 6,867

69.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

$2.18 COP 6,870

38.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MNT 2,525

$1.96 COP 6,174

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 MNT 3,723

$1.59 COP 5,000

-34.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,182

$1.15 COP 3,604

49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,836

$1.24 COP 3,911

-36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 MNT 5,867

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-58.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MNT 5,200

$1.66 COP 5,221

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 MNT 6,307

$2.26 COP 7,103

-22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 958

$1.17 COP 3,674

-76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-78.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,844

$1.27 COP 3,989

-59.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MNT 1,986

$2.05 COP 6,442

-73.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 MNT 4,182

$1.35 COP 4,237

-14.07%

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

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-20.70%

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

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

0.91%

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

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

$170 COP 533.7K

-58.26%

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

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-43.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-50.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

57.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-38.64%

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

$798 MNT 2.9M

$797 COP 2.5M

0.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-7.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-23.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MNT 366.6K

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 MNT 668.4K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

90.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 MNT 2.3M

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-47.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MNT 1.7M

$642 COP 2.0M

-26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 MNT 3.5M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-2.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-58.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-46.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 MNT 2.1M

$657 COP 2.1M

-10.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

10.94

-5.67%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: 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

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 36.8% $173

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 27.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 9.6% $18

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 129% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.5% $20

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 346% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $636 in Ulaanbaatar 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 run about 12% higher in Medellin, 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 $32 in Ulaanbaatar versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $297 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

13 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,001 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 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 MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Medellin 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
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

Ulaanbaatar vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,788 per month in Ulaanbaatar 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 Ulaanbaatar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $636 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ulaanbaatar 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 $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Ulaanbaatar about 27% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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