Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamenda and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamenda: $670 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bamenda
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Bamenda Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bamenda

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$670

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $670 per month in Bamenda vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Bamenda $670
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $897 per month in Bamenda vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Bamenda $897
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,123 per month in Bamenda vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Bamenda $1,123
Medellin $3,186

Bamenda is about 59% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bamenda sits 51% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 FCFA 2,963

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-37.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 FCFA 3,830

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-31.37%

Cappuccino

$1.17 FCFA 685

$3.01 COP 9,722

-61.13%

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

$1.74 FCFA 1,022

$1.80 COP 5,801

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 FCFA 371

$1.41 COP 4,554

-55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 FCFA 916

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 FCFA 976

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-71.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 FCFA 1,631

$1.51 COP 4,869

84.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 FCFA 484

$2.38 COP 7,667

-65.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 FCFA 1,142

$1.77 COP 5,712

9.60%

Eggs

$2.96 FCFA 1,741

$2.89 COP 9,320

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 FCFA 2,195

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-62.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.75 FCFA 2,791

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-66.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 FCFA 1,522

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-34.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 FCFA 484

$1.55 COP 5,005

-47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 FCFA 687

$2.18 COP 7,039

-46.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 FCFA 758

$2.18 COP 7,041

-40.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 FCFA 1,749

$1.96 COP 6,328

52.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 FCFA 889

$1.59 COP 5,125

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 FCFA 457

$1.15 COP 3,694

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 FCFA 452

$1.24 COP 4,009

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 FCFA 1,018

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-56.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.62 FCFA 5,651

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-29.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 820

$1.66 COP 5,352

-15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 FCFA 971

$2.26 COP 7,281

-26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 FCFA 767

$1.17 COP 3,766

11.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.99 FCFA 5,280

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-88.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 FCFA 360

$1.27 COP 4,089

-51.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$2.05 COP 6,603

-69.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 FCFA 3,244

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-35.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 FCFA 843

$1.35 COP 4,343

6.67%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$171 FCFA 100.6K

$170 COP 547.0K

1.01%

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

$30.03 FCFA 17.6K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

121.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.80 FCFA 25.1K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

52.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.19 FCFA 10.1K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-60.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 FCFA 4,981

$6.91 COP 22.3K

22.72%

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

$169 FCFA 99.5K

$797 COP 2.6M

-78.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.42 FCFA 14.9K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-70.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.49 FCFA 25.0K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.74 FCFA 27.5K

$135 COP 435.2K

-65.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.2 FCFA 30.0K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$68.7 FCFA 40.3K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-94.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$33.55 FCFA 19.7K

$642 COP 2.1M

-94.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$97.3 FCFA 57.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

-85.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Bamenda: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamenda

$244 36.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 13.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Bamenda

$171 * 25.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 73.2% $126

Eating Out

Bamenda

$95 14.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 79.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bamenda

$75 11.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 127% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Bamenda

$34 5.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 68.5% $23

Accommodation & Living

Bamenda

$34 5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 1812% $608

Getting Around

Bamenda

$18 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 422% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $69 in Bamenda 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 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Bamenda

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

6 h behind Bamenda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,735,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 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 XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamenda Medellin 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamenda
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

Bamenda vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $670 in Bamenda, $1,639 in Medellin – Bamenda comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,006 per month in Bamenda 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 Bamenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $69 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $670 in Bamenda and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Bamenda about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $169 per month in Bamenda and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bamenda, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Bamenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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