Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,334 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Douala vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Douala $1,334
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Douala vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Douala $2,160
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,985 per month in Douala vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Douala $2,985
Medellin $3,186

Douala is about 19% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Douala sits 2% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-45.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 FCFA 71.1K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

158.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-27.05%

Cappuccino

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

$3.01 COP 9,734

-29.24%

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

$1.64 FCFA 960

$1.80 COP 5,809

-8.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 FCFA 445

$1.41 COP 4,560

-46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 704

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-54.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

$1.51 COP 4,875

92.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 FCFA 238

$2.38 COP 7,677

-82.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

$1.77 COP 5,719

23.16%

Eggs

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

$2.89 COP 9,332

-35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

119.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-55.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

$3.97 COP 12.8K

15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

$1.55 COP 5,011

30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

$2.18 COP 7,047

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 FCFA 809

$2.18 COP 7,050

-36.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

$1.96 COP 6,336

62.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

$1.59 COP 5,131

35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 FCFA 443

$1.15 COP 3,698

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 391

$1.24 COP 4,014

-45.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-36.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 821

$1.66 COP 5,359

-15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

$2.26 COP 7,290

-21.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$1.17 COP 3,770

-43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-77.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 338

$1.27 COP 4,094

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 FCFA 476

$2.05 COP 6,611

-60.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-2.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 824

$1.35 COP 4,348

4.44%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-13.58%

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

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-54.96%

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

$162 FCFA 94.9K

$170 COP 547.7K

-4.40%

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

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

85.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$178 FCFA 103.9K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

532.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

$6.91 COP 22.3K

26.92%

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

$505 FCFA 295.5K

$797 COP 2.6M

-36.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-62.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

$58.0 COP 187.1K

17.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 FCFA 79.6K

$135 COP 435.7K

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 FCFA 86.0K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

50.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 FCFA 331.9K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-53.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 FCFA 183.0K

$642 COP 2.1M

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-34.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 FCFA 316.9K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-46.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-52.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 FCFA 556.8K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-50.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 FCFA 129.6K

$657 COP 2.1M

-66.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

10.94

74.04%

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

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$365 27.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 42.1% $154

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$313 23.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 105% $329

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$277 20.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 7.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$194 14.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 12.9% $25

Eating Out

Douala

$102 7.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 66% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$59 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.1% $1.2

Getting Around

Douala

$24 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 284% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Douala 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 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Douala vs $297 in Medellin – so Douala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

6 h behind Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Douala Medellin 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Douala
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

Douala vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Douala 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 Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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