Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abidjan and El Medano

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,203 a month against $1,446 in El Medano, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
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El Medano Living Index

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Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,203

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abidjan and in El Medano

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abidjan and in El Medano actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Abidjan versus $1,446 in El Medano.

Abidjan $1,203
El Medano $1,446

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,099 in Abidjan versus $2,385 in El Medano.

Abidjan $2,099
El Medano $2,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,996 in Abidjan versus $3,324 in El Medano.

Abidjan $2,996
El Medano $3,324

Living in Abidjan costs roughly 17% less than in El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abidjan is 11% below, El Medano is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 F CFA 1,480

$20.11 €17.89

-87.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 F CFA 39.4K

$61.2 €54.4

10.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 F CFA 5,902

$11.07 €9.85

-8.58%

Cappuccino

$1.84 F CFA 1,072

$1.99 €1.77

-7.54%

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

$0.73 F CFA 425

$1.90 €1.69

-61.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 F CFA 411

$1.29 €1.15

-45.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 F CFA 612

$2.81 €2.50

-62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 F CFA 978

$3.30 €2.94

-49.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 F CFA 1,162

$1.33 €1.19

49.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 F CFA 318

$2.45 €2.18

-77.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 F CFA 693

$1.53 €1.36

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.25 F CFA 1,313

$4.07 €3.62

-44.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.96 F CFA 15.1K

$14.56 €12.96

78.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.79 F CFA 3,379

$8.86 €7.88

-34.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.78 F CFA 3,368

$17.58 €15.63

-67.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 F CFA 2,330

$2.48 €2.21

61.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 620

$2.36 €2.10

-55.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 F CFA 1,189

$2.27 €2.02

-10.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 F CFA 1,391

$2.53 €2.25

-5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 F CFA 993

$2.09 €1.86

-18.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 F CFA 922

$1.93 €1.72

-18.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 F CFA 341

$1.68 €1.50

-64.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 F CFA 459

$0.97 €0.86

-18.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 F CFA 1,015

$5.49 €4.88

-68.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 F CFA 2,999

$7.64 €6.80

-32.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 F CFA 590

$1.71 €1.52

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 F CFA 679

$1.33 €1.18

-12.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 F CFA 539

$1.67 €1.49

-44.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.99 F CFA 25.1K

$24.80 €22.06

73.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 F CFA 984

$4.25 €3.78

-60.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 F CFA 1,026

$1.72 €1.53

2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.04 F CFA 15.2K

$17.01 €15.13

53.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 F CFA 846

$1.26 €1.12

15.08%

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

$27.8K F CFA 16.2M

$26.7K €23.7K

4.39%

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

$26.9K F CFA 15.7M

$31.3K €27.8K

-13.97%

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

$165 F CFA 96.1K

$98.8 €87.9

66.92%

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

$24.78 F CFA 14.5K

$22.80 €20.28

8.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.05 F CFA 20.4K

$35.05 €31.18

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.3 F CFA 40.4K

$45.45 €40.43

52.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 F CFA 12.4K

$14.44 €12.85

47.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 F CFA 4,884

$9.67 €8.60

-13.34%

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

$364 F CFA 212.2K

$406 €361

-10.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,744 F CFA 2.8M

$5,136 €4,568

-7.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 F CFA 54.2K

$91.3 €81.2

1.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 F CFA 21.6K

$41.48 €36.89

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 F CFA 44.4K

$92.6 €82.3

-17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 F CFA 79.5K

$113 €101

20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 F CFA 401.6K

$884 €786

-22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 F CFA 201.9K

$473 €420

-26.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 F CFA 1.5M

$1,341 €1,193

95.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 F CFA 588.3K

$1,025 €912

-1.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,197 F CFA 1.3M

$3,400 €3,024

-35.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$676 F CFA 394.0K

$1,990 €1,770

-66.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 F CFA 125.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

3.56

342.42%

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

Last update for Abidjan: October 18, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abidjan

$346 28.8%

El Medano

$473 32.7% 36.5% $126

Groceries & Markets

Abidjan

$248 20.6%

El Medano

$304 21% 22.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abidjan

$225 18.7%

El Medano

$157 10.8% 30.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Abidjan

$154 12.8%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 1.1% $1.7

Eating Out

Abidjan

$87 7.2%

El Medano

$251 17.4% 189% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Abidjan

$86 7.2%

El Medano

$65 4.5% 24.7% $21

Getting Around

Abidjan

$57 4.8%

El Medano

$44 3.1% 22.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $689 in Abidjan and $884 in El Medano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Abidjan vs $61.0 in El Medano. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $304, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h ahead of Abidjan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,567,409

2,500

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abidjan El Medano 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Abidjan
El Medano

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

Abidjan vs El Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,804 in Abidjan and $2,170 in El Medano to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $689 in Abidjan versus $884 in El Medano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abidjan – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in El Medano. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,203 per month in Abidjan versus $1,446 in El Medano – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,203 in Abidjan versus $1,446 in El Medano, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in El Medano. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abidjan and El Medano are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in El Medano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.