Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $835 in Assela versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Assela $835
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Assela versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Assela $1,203
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,571 in Assela versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Assela $1,571
Medellin $3,190

Living in Assela costs roughly 48% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Assela is 38% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ETB 636

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-50.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.32 ETB 6,793

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-8.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ETB 1,069

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-29.89%

Cappuccino

$0.96 ETB 153

$3.11 COP 9,866

-69.13%

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

$0.64 ETB 102

$1.83 COP 5,800

-65.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.38 COP 4,360

-50.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$3.05 COP 9,672

-72.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ETB 353

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.45 COP 4,600

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$2.36 COP 7,496

-50.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$1.68 COP 5,328

32.14%

Eggs

$1.78 ETB 286

$2.86 COP 9,077

-37.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 ETB 1,152

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-29.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 ETB 1,632

$9.53 COP 30.2K

6.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 ETB 1,471

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-34.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 ETB 871

$4.07 COP 12.9K

33.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.50 COP 4,742

-54.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 348

$2.17 COP 6,891

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$2.31 COP 7,310

-71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$1.93 COP 6,113

-75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.64 COP 5,196

-35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.13 COP 3,571

-41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 96.9

$1.25 COP 3,954

-52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,290

$3.99 COP 12.6K

101.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 ETB 881

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-58.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.70 COP 5,384

-61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$2.37 COP 7,525

-48.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.32 COP 4,179

-2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.58

$2.14 COP 6,774

-86.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 325

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-76.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.30 COP 4,114

-30.77%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

93.95%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

59.44%

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

$201 ETB 32.2K

$172 COP 545.6K

16.76%

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

$7.11 ETB 1,141

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-46.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.5K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

627.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 614

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-39.01%

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

$137 ETB 22.1K

$770 COP 2.4M

-82.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

235.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ETB 5,337

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-61.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

24.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

$137 COP 432.9K

-43.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 Assela: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Assela

$417 50%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 48.6% $203

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$211 25.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 39.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$119 14.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 43% $51

Eating Out

Assela

$77 9.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 119% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 656% $50

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 3306% $91

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Assela vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $295 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

05:08 5:08 AM

8 h behind Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Assela Medellin 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Assela
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

Assela vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Assela and $2,421 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.

Childcare runs $137 in Assela versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela 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.

Safety-wise, Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.