Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marrakech and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $889 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Marrakech
🇲🇦 Morocco
$889
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Marrakech vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marrakech $889
  • Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Marrakech vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marrakech $1,327
  • Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,765 per month in Marrakech vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marrakech $1,765
  • Medellin $3,190

Marrakech is about 45% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Marrakech sits 34% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.60 MAD 35.10
$7.93 COP 25.2K
-54.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.92 MAD 301
$46.13 COP 146.3K
-32.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 MAD 58.8
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-36.53%
Cappuccino
$2.29 MAD 22.32
$3.11 COP 9,866
-26.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 MAD 19.11
$1.83 COP 5,800
7.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 MAD 6.45
$1.38 COP 4,360
-52.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.80 MAD 66.3
$3.05 COP 9,672
122.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.34 MAD 52.1
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-2.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.83 MAD 8.06
$1.45 COP 4,600
-42.76%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 MAD 7.90
$2.36 COP 7,496
-65.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MAD 15.29
$1.68 COP 5,328
-6.55%
Eggs
$2.00 MAD 19.48
$2.86 COP 9,077
-30.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.87 MAD 76.8
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-22.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.42 MAD 52.9
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-43.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 MAD 112
$14.04 COP 44.5K
-18.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 MAD 15.86
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-59.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MAD 13.87
$1.50 COP 4,742
-5.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.91 MAD 8.83
$2.17 COP 6,891
-58.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.80 MAD 7.75
$2.31 COP 7,310
-65.37%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 MAD 6.99
$1.93 COP 6,113
-62.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 MAD 7.57
$1.64 COP 5,196
-52.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.23 MAD 2.24
$1.13 COP 3,571
-79.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 MAD 5.51
$1.25 COP 3,954
-55.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 MAD 39.97
$3.99 COP 12.6K
2.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.91 MAD 77.1
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-40.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 MAD 22.12
$1.70 COP 5,384
33.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 MAD 32.69
$2.37 COP 7,525
41.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 MAD 3.83
$1.21 COP 3,827
-67.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.21 MAD 256
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-65.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 MAD 8.47
$1.32 COP 4,179
-34.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 MAD 6.24
$2.14 COP 6,774
-70.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.31 MAD 71.2
$8.47 COP 26.8K
-13.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 MAD 14.48
$1.30 COP 4,114
14.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K MAD 331.0K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
21.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.2K MAD 294.4K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-14.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$35.87 MAD 350
$172 COP 545.6K
-79.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.89 MAD 86.6
$13.37 COP 42.4K
-33.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.31 MAD 364
$28.73 COP 91.1K
29.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.67 MAD 280
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-36.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.14 MAD 206
$17.04 COP 54.0K
24.06%
Cinema Ticket
$6.30 MAD 61.5
$6.28 COP 19.9K
0.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$101 MAD 985
$770 COP 2.4M
-86.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,211 MAD 80.1K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
-8.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.02 MAD 312
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-62.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.81 MAD 437
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-21.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.4 MAD 813
$137 COP 432.9K
-38.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.5 MAD 794
$97.9 COP 310.4K
-16.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$489 MAD 4,769
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-53.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 MAD 3,027
$616 COP 2.0M
-49.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 MAD 7,154
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-61.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$445 MAD 4,339
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-56.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,930 MAD 18.8K
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-52.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$938 MAD 9,145
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-44.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Marrakech
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$491 MAD 4,791
$652 COP 2.1M
-24.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
10.94
-58.87%

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

Last update for Marrakech: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Marrakech
$310
Medellin
$616 98.3% $305
Groceries & Markets
Marrakech
$185
Medellin
$295 59% $109
Eating Out
Marrakech
$130
Medellin
$168 30% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Marrakech
$109
Medellin
$170 56.4% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marrakech
$82
Medellin
$214 161% $132
Sport & Entertainment
Marrakech
$41
Medellin
$58 40% $17
Getting Around
Marrakech
$32
Medellin
$93 193% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $489 in Marrakech versus $1,055 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 run about 33% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Marrakech versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $295 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Marrakech
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
12:28 12:28 PM
06:28 6:28 AM
6 h behind Marrakech
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,002,697
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Marrakech Medellin 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Marrakech
  • 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
Marrakech vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Marrakech?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Marrakech and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marrakech, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $101 per month in Marrakech and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Marrakech and in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Marrakech or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Marrakech, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Marrakech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Marrakech or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Marrakech – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Marrakech or Medellin?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Marrakech. 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.

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