Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Elmina $668
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Medellin $3,190

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.0

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 591

$46.13 COP 146.3K

10.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$9.50 COP 30.1K

8.00%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.9

$3.11 COP 9,866

43.41%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.85

$1.83 COP 5,800

-16.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.12

$1.38 COP 4,360

-68.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.03

$3.05 COP 9,672

-40.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.19

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-60.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.68

$1.45 COP 4,600

153.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.37

$2.36 COP 7,496

-29.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.63

$1.68 COP 5,328

82.14%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.21

$2.86 COP 9,077

-6.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$10.19 COP 32.3K

18.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.3

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-31.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.93

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-11.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.32

$1.50 COP 4,742

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.58

$2.17 COP 6,891

-18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.44

$2.31 COP 7,310

54.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.29

$1.93 COP 6,113

39.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.82

$1.64 COP 5,196

61.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.34

$1.13 COP 3,571

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.02

$1.25 COP 3,954

-52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.19

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.1

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-47.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.10

$1.70 COP 5,384

-28.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.37 COP 7,525

-1.69%

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)

$1.74 GHS 20.29

$1.32 COP 4,179

31.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$2.14 COP 6,774

-41.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.0

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-49.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.58

$1.30 COP 4,114

3.08%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-71.73%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-72.72%

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

$73.7 GHS 857

$172 COP 545.6K

-57.17%

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

$19.07 GHS 222

$13.37 COP 42.4K

42.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 491

$28.73 COP 91.1K

47.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$6.28 COP 19.9K

101.59%

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

$470 GHS 5,464

$770 COP 2.4M

-39.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

106.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 165

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-83.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-67.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 427

$137 COP 432.9K

-73.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 605

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-46.88%

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 %)

26.75

10.94

144.52%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 6.6% $18

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 58.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 211% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 128% $33

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1061% $85

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Elmina vs $295 in Medellin – so Elmina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

5 h behind Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elmina Medellin 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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