Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Bissau $814
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Bissau $1,314
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Bissau $1,813
Medellin $3,249

Living in Bissau costs roughly 52% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 40% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$8.34 COP 26.8K

-39.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-44.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-1.69%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-45.37%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$1.77 COP 5,681

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$1.42 COP 4,582

-38.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-77.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$1.53 COP 4,930

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$2.29 COP 7,370

-60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.94 COP 6,257

3.09%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$3.07 COP 9,864

65.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$9.99 COP 32.1K

42.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$10.45 COP 33.6K

28.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$4.05 COP 13.0K

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.53 COP 4,916

-32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$2.10 COP 6,769

103.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$2.29 COP 7,378

-92.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$2.11 COP 6,785

-36.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$1.71 COP 5,498

-19.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$1.58 COP 5,083

-20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.76 COP 5,667

-25.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$2.71 COP 8,724

-68.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$1.18 COP 3,795

-55.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-66.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$1.28 COP 4,102

11.72%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-6.67%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-15.26%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$178 COP 571.7K

-41.93%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$13.89 COP 44.7K

145.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$30.74 COP 98.9K

49.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$41.94 COP 134.9K

0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$790 COP 2.5M

-3.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-81.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-61.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$667 COP 2.1M

-74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-57.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-58.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$646 COP 2.1M

61.29%

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 Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Bissau vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $307 per month, with Bissau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

5 h behind Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bissau Medellin 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $1,692 in Medellin, so Bissau is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Bissau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $516 in Bissau versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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.

Expats usually find Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.