Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,374 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,374 in Asmara versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Asmara $1,374
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,159 in Asmara versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Asmara $2,159
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,943 in Asmara versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Asmara $2,943
Medellin $3,199

Living in Asmara costs roughly 15% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 1% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.76 ERN 312

$8.30 COP 26.3K

150.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.78 ERN 507

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-27.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ERN 90.5

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-34.85%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.61

$3.05 COP 9,676

-74.75%

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

$1.02 ERN 15.37

$1.80 COP 5,707

-43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 ERN 14.59

$1.38 COP 4,382

-29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.61 ERN 9.20

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-81.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.41

$1.50 COP 4,760

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ERN 33.95

$1.70 COP 5,377

32.94%

Eggs

$4.48 ERN 67.3

$2.96 COP 9,379

51.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 ERN 43.95

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-71.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.11 ERN 407

$9.74 COP 30.9K

178.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ERN 149

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-28.49%

Apples (1kg)

$12.25 ERN 184

$4.13 COP 13.1K

196.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ERN 18.86

$1.53 COP 4,839

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ERN 30.53

$2.22 COP 7,052

-8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.18

$2.27 COP 7,194

-49.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ERN 26.31

$1.99 COP 6,311

-12.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.27

$1.67 COP 5,285

-43.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 ERN 33.78

$1.24 COP 3,919

81.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 ERN 180

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.71

$1.66 COP 5,256

-40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.43

$2.40 COP 7,615

-57.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.10

$1.24 COP 3,944

-88.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.98 ERN 120

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-89.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ERN 8.70

$2.15 COP 6,803

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 ERN 153

$8.37 COP 26.5K

21.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.55 ERN 38.23

$1.35 COP 4,288

88.89%

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

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

94.65%

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

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

104.35%

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

$25.48 ERN 383

$167 COP 528.4K

-84.71%

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

$68.1 ERN 1,023

$13.62 COP 43.2K

400.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,012

$29.12 COP 92.3K

588.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.63 ERN 400

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-40.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.86 ERN 73.1

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-71.71%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.28

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-82.50%

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

$24.87 ERN 374

$790 COP 2.5M

-96.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-71.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 ERN 2,060

$87.8 COP 278.4K

56.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$122 ERN 1,837

$58.2 COP 184.4K

110.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$197 ERN 2,964

$139 COP 440.7K

41.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ERN 2,229

$98.9 COP 313.5K

50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ERN 3,781

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-75.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,984

$620 COP 2.0M

-67.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 ERN 6,824

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-75.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ERN 6,305

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-58.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-68.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

45.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.69%

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

Last update for Asmara: 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

Asmara

$364 * 26.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 18.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$294 21.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 28.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$272 19.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 36.6% $100

Eating Out

Asmara

$204 * 14.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 16.5% $34

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 212% $421

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 103% $30

Getting Around

Asmara

$11 * 0.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 732% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $252 in Asmara and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

8 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 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).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asmara Medellin 12,420 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Medellin differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,374 vs $1,625 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,062 in Asmara and $2,437 in Medellin 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: $252 in Asmara versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 880% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $24.87 in Asmara versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,374 in Asmara versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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, Asmara and Medellin 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.