Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,871 per month in Marsa vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Marsa $2,871
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,976 per month in Marsa vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Marsa $3,976
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Marsa vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Marsa $5,081
Medellin $3,186

Marsa costs about 75% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marsa and Medellin sit above the global median – Marsa by 111%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.41 €17.31

$8.09 COP 26.1K

139.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$47.05 COP 151.9K

81.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.19

$9.50 COP 30.7K

43.89%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$3.01 COP 9,734

-10.63%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.80 COP 5,809

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.41 COP 4,560

60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.08

$3.18 COP 10.3K

44.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-56.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.51 COP 4,875

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.38 COP 7,677

-45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 €3.76

$1.77 COP 5,719

138.42%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.87

$2.89 COP 9,332

49.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 €7.52

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.14

$9.87 COP 31.9K

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 €16.48

$13.99 COP 45.2K

32.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.81

$3.97 COP 12.8K

7.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.55 COP 5,011

73.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$2.18 COP 7,047

62.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.18 COP 7,050

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.96 COP 6,336

14.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.59 COP 5,131

17.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.15 COP 3,698

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.24 COP 4,014

5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.11

$3.96 COP 12.8K

72.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 €7.46

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.66 COP 5,359

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.26 COP 7,290

3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 €5.13

$1.27 COP 4,094

352.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.05 COP 6,611

11.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.56 €23.69

$8.55 COP 27.6K

210.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.35 COP 4,348

8.89%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

9.72%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

10.62%

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

$103 €92.2

$170 COP 547.7K

-39.06%

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

$24.97 €22.28

$13.55 COP 43.7K

84.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 €38.25

$28.07 COP 90.6K

52.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$6.91 COP 22.3K

47.47%

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

$372 €332

$797 COP 2.6M

-53.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,953

$9,112 COP 29.4M

22.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.8

$84.7 COP 273.5K

1.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.59

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$135 COP 435.7K

-24.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.1

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-20.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 €2,213

$1,208 COP 3.9M

105.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 €1,718

$642 COP 2.1M

200.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 €2,026

$2,028 COP 6.5M

11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,758 €2,460

$1,012 COP 3.3M

172.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,229 €2,881

$657 COP 2.1M

391.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

10.94

-73.49%

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

Last update for Marsa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 66.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Marsa

$326 11.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 8.8% $29

Eating Out

Marsa

$275 9.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 38.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsa

$171 6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Marsa

$137 4.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 23.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Marsa

$20 * 0.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 182% $37

Getting Around

Marsa

$17 * 0.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 445% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,481 in Marsa 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 Marsa are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Marsa versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

6 h behind Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Marsa Medellin 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsa
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

Marsa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,307 per month in Marsa 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,481 in Marsa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,871 in Marsa and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 43% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $372 per month in Marsa and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Marsa at $2,871. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsa 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $2,871 in Marsa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marsa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.