Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $452 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Alexandria
🇪🇬 Egypt
$452
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $452 per month in Alexandria vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Alexandria $452
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $750 per month in Alexandria vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Alexandria $750
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,048 per month in Alexandria vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Alexandria $1,048
  • Medellin $3,199

Alexandria is about 72% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Alexandria sits 67% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.22 E£225
$8.30 COP 26.3K
-49.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.66 E£996
$46.91 COP 148.7K
-60.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 E£253
$9.24 COP 29.3K
-48.70%
Cappuccino
$1.26 E£67.3
$3.05 COP 9,676
-58.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 E£15.96
$1.80 COP 5,707
-83.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.31
$1.38 COP 4,382
-91.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.33 E£70.9
$3.24 COP 10.3K
-58.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 E£146
$5.56 COP 17.6K
-50.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.84 E£44.97
$1.50 COP 4,760
-44.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.71 E£37.73
$2.37 COP 7,508
-70.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.58 E£30.74
$1.70 COP 5,377
-65.88%
Eggs
$1.10 E£59.0
$2.96 COP 9,379
-62.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.66 E£195
$10.22 COP 32.4K
-64.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.19 E£224
$9.74 COP 30.9K
-56.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.17 E£490
$13.90 COP 44.1K
-34.03%
Apples (1kg)
$1.46 E£77.7
$4.13 COP 13.1K
-64.65%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 E£41.63
$1.53 COP 4,839
-49.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.51 E£27.48
$2.22 COP 7,052
-77.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.34 E£18.27
$2.27 COP 7,194
-85.02%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 E£12.77
$1.99 COP 6,311
-87.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.30 E£15.98
$1.67 COP 5,285
-82.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.27 E£14.47
$1.18 COP 3,742
-77.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.22 E£11.93
$1.24 COP 3,919
-82.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86 E£99.6
$3.87 COP 12.3K
-51.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 E£300
$13.78 COP 43.7K
-59.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 E£61.9
$1.66 COP 5,256
-30.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 E£115
$2.40 COP 7,615
-10.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 E£11.66
$1.24 COP 3,944
-82.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.95 E£585
$78.2 COP 248.0K
-86.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.57 E£30.48
$1.28 COP 4,044
-55.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.49 E£26.19
$2.15 COP 6,803
-77.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.11 E£59.1
$8.37 COP 26.5K
-86.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.45 E£24.16
$1.35 COP 4,288
-66.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K E£1.8M
$34.8K COP 110.2M
-5.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K E£1.3M
$34.7K COP 110.0M
-27.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$14.02 E£749
$167 COP 528.4K
-91.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.60 E£353
$13.62 COP 43.2K
-51.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.75 E£681
$29.12 COP 92.3K
-56.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.39 E£662
$45.09 COP 143.0K
-72.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.31 E£390
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-57.45%
Cinema Ticket
$2.73 E£146
$6.97 COP 22.1K
-60.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$85.2 E£4,549
$790 COP 2.5M
-89.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,035 E£108.6K
$9,041 COP 28.7M
-77.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.61 E£1,741
$87.8 COP 278.4K
-62.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.28 E£2,418
$58.2 COP 184.4K
-22.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 E£6,687
$139 COP 440.7K
-9.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.9 E£2,933
$98.9 COP 313.5K
-44.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$131 E£7,020
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-87.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$69.3 E£3,702
$620 COP 2.0M
-88.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 E£14.9K
$1,881 COP 6.0M
-85.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$142 E£7,603
$1,008 COP 3.2M
-85.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$679 E£36.2K
$3,988 COP 12.6M
-82.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$431 E£23.0K
$1,702 COP 5.4M
-74.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alexandria
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$137 E£7,313
$663 COP 2.1M
-79.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
21.33
10.94
94.97%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Alexandria
$124
Medellin
$298 141% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Alexandria
$116
Medellin
$173 48.7% $57
Eating Out
Alexandria
$77
Medellin
$171 122% $94
Accommodation & Living
Alexandria
$69
Medellin
$619 794% $550
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alexandria
$33
Medellin
$209 528% $176
Sport & Entertainment
Alexandria
$18
Medellin
$59 231% $41
Getting Around
Alexandria
$15
Medellin
$95 541% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Alexandria versus $1,028 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 run about 384% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Alexandria versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $298 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Alexandria
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
13:52 1:52 PM
05:52 5:52 AM
8 h behind Alexandria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,546,231
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alexandria Medellin 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Alexandria
  • 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
Alexandria vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Alexandria or Medellin?
Medellin costs about 259% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Alexandria and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $678 per month in Alexandria and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Alexandria or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Alexandria and in Medellin?
Kindergarten costs $85.2 per month in Alexandria and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Alexandria or in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 141% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Alexandria or in Medellin?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Alexandria or Medellin?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $452 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Alexandria or to Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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