Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abuja and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $991 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
Learn more

Abuja Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Abuja versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Abuja $991
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,872 in Abuja versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Abuja $1,872
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,753 in Abuja versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Abuja $2,753
Medellin $3,186

Living in Abuja costs roughly 40% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abuja is 27% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₦2,611

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-76.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.33 ₦40.8K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-35.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₦5,483

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-57.05%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ₦4,415

$3.01 COP 9,722

8.97%

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

$0.43 ₦575

$1.80 COP 5,801

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₦959

$1.41 COP 4,554

-49.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,306

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-69.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₦2,656

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-65.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 ₦4,830

$1.51 COP 4,869

137.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₦1,737

$2.38 COP 7,667

-45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 ₦3,058

$1.77 COP 5,712

28.25%

Eggs

$1.81 ₦2,428

$2.89 COP 9,320

-37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₦14.9K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 ₦7,189

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-45.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.82 ₦7,822

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-58.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₦2,785

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-47.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦2,013

$1.55 COP 5,005

-3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,046

$2.18 COP 7,039

-30.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₦3,078

$2.18 COP 7,041

5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₦2,401

$1.96 COP 6,328

-8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ₦3,335

$1.59 COP 5,125

55.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₦797

$1.15 COP 3,694

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦528

$1.24 COP 4,009

-68.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 ₦2,633

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-50.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₦7,845

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₦1,610

$1.66 COP 5,352

-27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₦2,492

$2.26 COP 7,281

-18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₦622

$1.17 COP 3,766

-60.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.58 ₦43.8K

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-57.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₦826

$1.27 COP 4,089

-51.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₦1,090

$2.05 COP 6,603

-60.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,482

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-78.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₦768

$1.35 COP 4,343

-57.78%

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

$26.1K ₦35.1M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-23.35%

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

$37.3K ₦50.2M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

7.65%

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

$110 ₦148.3K

$170 COP 547.0K

-35.01%

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

$6.48 ₦8,717

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-52.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 ₦39.2K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 ₦34.6K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-41.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₦12.9K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-44.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ₦8,485

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-8.68%

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

$44.68 ₦60.1K

$797 COP 2.6M

-94.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,103 ₦4.2M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-65.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 ₦35.0K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-69.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 ₦81.7K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₦102.9K

$135 COP 435.2K

-43.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ₦141.8K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₦792.6K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-51.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₦467.4K

$642 COP 2.1M

-45.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 ₦1.9M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-30.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 ₦1.8M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

33.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$699 ₦940.4K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-83.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$378 ₦508.7K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-80.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₦218.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-75.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

10.94

105.67%

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

Last update for Abuja: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abuja

$348 35.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 84.6% $294

Groceries & Markets

Abuja

$218 22%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 36.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abuja

$146 14.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Abuja

$121 12.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 39.7% $48

Eating Out

Abuja

$81 8.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 111% $89

Getting Around

Abuja

$39 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 139% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Abuja

$38 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 50% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Abuja and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Abuja vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $297 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Abuja

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

6 h behind Abuja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

776,298 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abuja Medellin 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Abuja
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

Abuja vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $991 in Abuja and $1,639 in Medellin, so Abuja is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Abuja. 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: $589 in Abuja versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $991 per month in Abuja versus $1,639 in Medellin – Abuja is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 58% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $991 in Abuja versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja 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.

Expats usually find Abuja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.