Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $383 per month in Varkala vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkala $383
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $608 per month in Varkala vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkala $608
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $833 per month in Varkala vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Varkala $833
Medellin $3,249

Varkala is about 77% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varkala sits 72% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ₹216

$8.34 COP 26.8K

-72.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹978

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-77.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.45 ₹326

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-63.57%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹149

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-49.84%

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

$0.37 ₹35.20

$1.77 COP 5,681

-79.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.55

$1.42 COP 4,582

-87.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹166

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-44.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹295

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-45.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.4

$1.53 COP 4,930

-53.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.46

$2.29 COP 7,370

-80.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹62.2

$1.94 COP 6,257

-65.98%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.2

$3.07 COP 9,864

-71.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 ₹460

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-51.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 ₹282

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-71.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₹194

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-49.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.1

$1.53 COP 4,916

-51.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.6

$2.10 COP 6,769

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.8

$2.29 COP 7,378

-76.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.97

$2.11 COP 6,785

-81.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.23

$1.71 COP 5,498

-74.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.20

$1.17 COP 3,764

-61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.08

$1.58 COP 5,083

-79.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ₹367

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₹706

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-46.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹160

$1.76 COP 5,667

-3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹261

$2.71 COP 8,724

1.85%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.35

$1.18 COP 3,795

-76.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.77 ₹829

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-88.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₹78.4

$1.81 COP 5,812

-54.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.36

$2.13 COP 6,849

-88.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ₹135

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-82.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₹110

$1.28 COP 4,102

-9.38%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-59.93%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-34.83%

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

$38.26 ₹3,614

$178 COP 571.7K

-78.47%

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

$3.52 ₹332

$13.89 COP 44.7K

-74.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.13 ₹673

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-76.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.61 ₹1,475

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-62.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.10 ₹671

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-57.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 ₹269

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-61.85%

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

$51.9 ₹4,905

$790 COP 2.5M

-93.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,542 ₹145.7K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-87.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.46 ₹2,311

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-71.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.88 ₹2,351

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-58.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.84 ₹3,953

$138 COP 445.0K

-69.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.94 ₹2,923

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-68.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.6K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-90.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.4 ₹7,127

$667 COP 2.1M

-88.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₹25.8K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-86.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹16.9K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-82.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,051 ₹99.3K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-74.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$599 ₹56.6K

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-69.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

10.94

-20.75%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$105 27.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 192% $202

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 784% $592

Eating Out

Varkala

$65 16.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 167% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 213% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 355% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$21 5.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 167% $36

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 681% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $123 in Varkala 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Varkala versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $307 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

10 h 30 min behind Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varkala Medellin 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 342%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $574 per month in Varkala 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 Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Varkala 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 $383 in Varkala and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Varkala about 77% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varkala, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Varkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 77% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.