Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abidjan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,222 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,222

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Abidjan $1,222
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,090 in Abidjan versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Abidjan $2,090
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,957 in Abidjan versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Abidjan $2,957
Medellin $3,139

Living in Abidjan costs roughly 23% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abidjan is 9% below, Medellin is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 F CFA 1,512

$8.01 COP 25.8K

-67.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 F CFA 39.6K

$46.55 COP 149.9K

45.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 F CFA 6,113

$9.43 COP 30.4K

10.92%

Cappuccino

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

$2.91 COP 9,374

-36.43%

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

$0.72 F CFA 419

$1.75 COP 5,643

-58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 F CFA 446

$1.32 COP 4,263

-42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 F CFA 610

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 F CFA 970

$5.55 COP 17.9K

-70.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 F CFA 1,229

$1.41 COP 4,542

48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 F CFA 289

$2.44 COP 7,858

-79.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 666

$1.63 COP 5,245

-30.06%

Eggs

$2.29 F CFA 1,339

$2.82 COP 9,084

-18.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.21 F CFA 14.7K

$9.69 COP 31.2K

160.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 F CFA 3,348

$9.32 COP 30.0K

-38.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 F CFA 3,508

$13.46 COP 43.3K

-55.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 F CFA 2,285

$4.00 COP 12.9K

-2.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 607

$1.48 COP 4,768

-29.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 F CFA 1,221

$2.12 COP 6,839

-1.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 F CFA 1,396

$2.25 COP 7,253

6.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 F CFA 1,031

$1.91 COP 6,155

-7.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 F CFA 932

$1.62 COP 5,214

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 F CFA 345

$1.15 COP 3,696

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 502

$1.26 COP 4,063

-31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 F CFA 1,021

$3.82 COP 12.3K

-54.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 F CFA 3,049

$13.11 COP 42.2K

-60.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 F CFA 618

$1.60 COP 5,136

-33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 F CFA 678

$2.26 COP 7,263

-48.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 F CFA 535

$1.17 COP 3,770

-21.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.81 F CFA 25.0K

$75.0 COP 241.5K

-42.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 F CFA 976

$1.27 COP 4,098

31.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 F CFA 1,007

$2.05 COP 6,600

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.89 F CFA 15.1K

$8.20 COP 26.4K

215.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 F CFA 883

$1.27 COP 4,088

18.90%

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

$28.1K F CFA 16.4M

$26.8K COP 86.2M

5.10%

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

$27.0K F CFA 15.8M

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-21.41%

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

$163 F CFA 95.4K

$162 COP 522.3K

0.59%

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

$24.63 F CFA 14.4K

$13.12 COP 42.3K

87.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.38 F CFA 20.7K

$28.09 COP 90.5K

25.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

$44.33 COP 142.7K

57.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 F CFA 12.4K

$16.33 COP 52.6K

30.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 F CFA 5,058

$6.09 COP 19.6K

42.04%

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

$367 F CFA 214.6K

$764 COP 2.5M

-51.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,608 F CFA 2.7M

$8,904 COP 28.7M

-48.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 F CFA 53.2K

$85.0 COP 273.6K

7.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.71 F CFA 21.5K

$57.5 COP 185.1K

-36.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 F CFA 44.5K

$132 COP 424.2K

-42.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 F CFA 80.2K

$95.8 COP 308.3K

43.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 F CFA 396.9K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-33.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 F CFA 200.1K

$604 COP 1.9M

-43.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,604 F CFA 1.5M

$1,802 COP 5.8M

44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 F CFA 590.4K

$993 COP 3.2M

1.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,189 F CFA 1.3M

$3,921 COP 12.6M

-44.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 F CFA 394.8K

$1,639 COP 5.3M

-58.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 F CFA 126.0K

$626 COP 2.0M

-65.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

10.94

43.97%

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

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abidjan

$342 28.6%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 76.6% $262

Groceries & Markets

Abidjan

$247 20.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 16.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abidjan

$223 18.6%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 8.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Abidjan

$154 12.8%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 8.5% $13

Eating Out

Abidjan

$89 7.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 87.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Abidjan

$87 7.3%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 35.3% $31

Getting Around

Abidjan

$57 4.7%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 60.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $679 in Abidjan and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 191% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Abidjan vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $288, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

5 h behind Abidjan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,567,409

2,486,723

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,608 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abidjan Medellin 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Abidjan
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

Abidjan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 191% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $679 in Abidjan versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Abidjan versus $1,589 in Medellin – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abidjan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.