Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bosaso and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bosaso: $320 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Bosaso

🇸🇴 Somalia

$320

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $320 in Bosaso versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bosaso $320
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $495 in Bosaso versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bosaso $495
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $670 in Bosaso versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bosaso $670
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bosaso costs roughly 81% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bosaso is 77% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 SOS 1,128

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-75.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 SOS 2,890

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-46.42%

Cappuccino

$1.47 SOS 834

$3.01 COP 9,735

-51.16%

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

$1.02 SOS 579

$1.80 COP 5,809

-43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SOS 352

$1.41 COP 4,561

-56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 SOS 1,752

$1.51 COP 4,876

103.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.39 SOS 220

$1.77 COP 5,720

-77.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 SOS 1,743

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-68.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.03 SOS 2,289

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-71.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 SOS 1,122

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-50.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 SOS 1,659

$1.55 COP 5,012

88.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 SOS 834

$1.24 COP 4,014

18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.98 SOS 555

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-75.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 SOS 178

$1.17 COP 3,771

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 SOS 974

$1.27 COP 4,094

34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 SOS 527

$2.05 COP 6,612

-54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 SOS 1,392

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-71.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 SOS 493

$1.35 COP 4,349

-35.56%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

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

$10.10 SOS 5,739

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-25.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.92 SOS 18.1K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

13.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.82 SOS 6,144

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-87.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.82 SOS 8,420

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-74.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$13.14 SOS 7,466

$135 COP 435.8K

-90.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.75 SOS 8,379

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-84.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 SOS 71.4K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-89.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.8 SOS 48.7K

$642 COP 2.1M

-86.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.3K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-90.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 SOS 107.2K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-81.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.6K SOS 16.8M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

609.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 SOS 172.4K

$657 COP 2.1M

-53.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.59%

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

Last update for Bosaso: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Bosaso

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $126 in Bosaso and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Bosaso

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

23:09 11:09 PM

8 h behind Bosaso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,287

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 634 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bosaso Medellin 13,600 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bosaso
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

Bosaso vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $320 in Bosaso and $1,639 in Medellin, so Bosaso is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Bosaso. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $126 in Bosaso versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 183% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $320 per month in Bosaso versus $1,639 in Medellin – Bosaso is about 81% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $320 in Bosaso versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bosaso but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bosaso 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bosaso wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.