Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,030 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,030

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,030 per month in Adama vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Adama $1,030
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Adama vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Adama $1,702
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Adama vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Adama $2,374
Medellin $3,186

Adama is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Adama sits 24% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ETB 492

$8.09 COP 25.6K

-62.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.00 ETB 6,924

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-8.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ETB 801

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-47.58%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ETB 144

$3.01 COP 9,540

-70.10%

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

$0.58 ETB 93.9

$1.80 COP 5,693

-67.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.5

$1.41 COP 4,469

-78.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 134

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-73.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-59.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 ETB 124

$1.51 COP 4,778

-49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$2.38 COP 7,524

-50.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ETB 354

$1.77 COP 5,606

24.29%

Eggs

$1.80 ETB 290

$2.89 COP 9,146

-37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 ETB 1,184

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-27.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 ETB 1,625

$9.87 COP 31.2K

2.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 ETB 1,514

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 ETB 888

$3.97 COP 12.6K

38.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.55 COP 4,911

-55.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ETB 344

$2.18 COP 6,907

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 113

$2.18 COP 6,910

-67.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.9

$1.96 COP 6,210

-74.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.59 COP 5,029

-31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.15 COP 3,625

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$1.24 COP 3,934

-54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 ETB 1,269

$3.96 COP 12.5K

98.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 ETB 931

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.66 COP 5,252

-57.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$2.26 COP 7,145

-43.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ETB 206

$1.27 COP 4,013

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.90

$2.05 COP 6,480

-86.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 327

$8.55 COP 27.1K

-76.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 145

$1.35 COP 4,262

-33.33%

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

$55.8K ETB 9.0M

$34.1K COP 107.8M

63.65%

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

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

$34.7K COP 109.7M

59.64%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$170 COP 536.8K

21.32%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,207

$13.55 COP 42.9K

-44.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$215 ETB 34.6K

$28.07 COP 88.8K

665.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 617

$6.91 COP 21.9K

-44.57%

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

$611 ETB 98.3K

$797 COP 2.5M

-23.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$9,112 COP 28.8M

234.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.75 ETB 5,273

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-61.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.3 ETB 11.6K

$58.0 COP 183.4K

24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ETB 12.9K

$135 COP 427.1K

-40.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 ETB 13.2K

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ETB 56.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-70.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ETB 31.9K

$642 COP 2.0M

-69.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 ETB 157.8K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-51.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 ETB 131.2K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-19.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$98.7 ETB 15.9K

$657 COP 2.1M

-84.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

10.94

69.10%

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

Last update for Adama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adama

$428 41.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 50.7% $217

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$211 20.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 40.9% $86

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$198 19.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 224% $443

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$120 11.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 40.5% $49

Eating Out

Adama

$63 6.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 171% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.7 * 0.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 650% $50

Getting Around

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 3484% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Adama 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 in Medellin are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $297 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

22:08 10:08 PM

8 h behind Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Adama Medellin 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
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

Adama vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,030 in Adama, $1,639 in Medellin – Adama comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,545 per month in Adama 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 Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,030 in Adama and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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