Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $290 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $290 per month in Varanasi vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Varanasi $290
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $475 per month in Varanasi vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Varanasi $475
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $661 per month in Varanasi vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Varanasi $661
Medellin $3,186

Varanasi is about 82% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varanasi sits 79% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₹174

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-77.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.76 ₹739

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-83.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.19 ₹303

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-66.42%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$3.01 COP 9,485

-47.18%

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

$0.42 ₹39.71

$1.80 COP 5,660

-76.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.99

$1.41 COP 4,443

-92.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 ₹147

$3.18 COP 9,990

-51.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₹196

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-64.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.3

$1.51 COP 4,751

-59.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.62

$2.38 COP 7,480

-86.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$1.77 COP 5,573

-70.06%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹80.2

$2.89 COP 9,093

-70.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 ₹299

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-69.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-78.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 ₹130

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-65.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$1.55 COP 4,883

-57.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ₹91.0

$2.18 COP 6,867

-55.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.04

$2.18 COP 6,870

-85.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.67

$1.96 COP 6,174

-87.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.77

$1.59 COP 5,000

-84.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.03

$1.15 COP 3,604

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.79

$1.24 COP 3,911

-77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹305

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-19.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 ₹546

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹151

$1.66 COP 5,221

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₹181

$2.26 COP 7,103

-15.93%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.12 ₹392

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.9

$1.17 COP 3,674

-53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ₹927

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-87.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.91

$1.27 COP 3,989

-79.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.11 ₹10.03

$2.05 COP 6,442

-94.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-87.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.35 COP 4,237

-17.78%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-66.99%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-37.07%

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

$12.55 ₹1,195

$170 COP 533.7K

-92.60%

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

$3.62 ₹344

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-73.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 ₹670

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-74.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.58 ₹1,197

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-71.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 ₹288

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-56.30%

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

$38.76 ₹3,691

$797 COP 2.5M

-95.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$990 ₹94.3K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-89.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.78 ₹2,169

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-73.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.17 ₹2,397

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-56.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.77 ₹3,597

$135 COP 424.6K

-72.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.59 ₹2,437

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-73.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.6K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-90.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.39 ₹4,513

$642 COP 2.0M

-92.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₹18.5K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-90.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 ₹13.1K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-86.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$571 ₹54.4K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-86.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$345 ₹32.8K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-81.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 ₹54.4K

$657 COP 2.1M

-13.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

10.94

-22.03%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 269% $216

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 197% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 237% $119

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 1254% $594

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 810% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 209% $39

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 637% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $111 in Varanasi 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 15% 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 $8 in Varanasi versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $81 vs $297 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

03:18 3:18 AM

10 h 30 min behind Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,511 COP (10,000 COP = 2.85 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Medellin 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
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

Varanasi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 466%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $435 per month in Varanasi 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 Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $111 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Varanasi 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 $290 in Varanasi and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Varanasi about 82% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $290, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Varanasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varanasi – 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 Varanasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.