Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
Learn more

Hawassa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $838 per month in Hawassa vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawassa $838
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,202 per month in Hawassa vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawassa $1,202
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,566 per month in Hawassa vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawassa $1,566
Medellin $3,249

Hawassa is about 50% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hawassa sits 38% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ETB 625

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-53.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.15 ETB 6,777

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-30.31%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-71.88%

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

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.77 COP 5,705

-64.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.42 COP 4,601

-52.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-75.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ETB 355

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-61.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.53 COP 4,950

-31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$2.29 COP 7,401

-48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ETB 165

$1.94 COP 6,282

-46.91%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 254

$3.07 COP 9,905

-48.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 ETB 1,186

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-26.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 ETB 1,612

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-4.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ETB 1,491

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-33.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$4.05 COP 13.1K

29.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.53 COP 4,937

-58.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 361

$2.10 COP 6,797

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 112

$2.29 COP 7,409

-69.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.0

$2.11 COP 6,813

-77.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.71 COP 5,521

-36.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.17 COP 3,780

-43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$1.58 COP 5,104

-63.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,272

$3.91 COP 12.6K

102.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 ETB 908

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.76 COP 5,690

-61.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.71 COP 8,760

-54.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.81 COP 5,836

-24.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.39

$2.13 COP 6,878

-87.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-75.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$1.28 COP 4,119

-25.78%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

57.61%

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

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

$34.1K COP 110.3M

62.71%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$178 COP 574.1K

15.41%

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

$7.48 ETB 1,202

$13.89 COP 44.9K

-46.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.8K

$30.74 COP 99.3K

604.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 ETB 613

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-49.00%

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

$616 ETB 99.1K

$790 COP 2.6M

-22.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

147.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 ETB 5,368

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-61.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

$59.3 COP 191.4K

17.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

$138 COP 446.9K

-44.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

$98.8 COP 319.2K

-15.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 ETB 80.3K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-74.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

10.94

69.10%

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

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$429 51.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 48.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 49.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$119 14.2%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 45% $53

Eating Out

Hawassa

$75 8.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 130% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 647% $49

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 3349% $91

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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 $42 in Hawassa versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $307 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

8 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Medellin 12,550 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $838 in Hawassa, $1,692 in Medellin – Hawassa comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,258 per month in Hawassa and $2,538 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 $42 in Hawassa and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.