Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marseille and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,045 in Marseille, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Marseille, France
Medellin, Colombia
Marseille
🇫🇷 France
$2,045
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,045 per month in Marseille vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marseille $2,045
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Marseille vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marseille $3,211
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,377 per month in Marseille vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Marseille $4,377
  • Medellin $3,249

Marseille costs about 21% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Marseille and Medellin sit above the global median – Marseille by 51%, Medellin by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.01 €15.21
$8.34 COP 26.9K
103.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.0 €65.3
$46.53 COP 150.2K
56.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.56 €12.13
$9.47 COP 30.6K
43.19%
Cappuccino
$3.49 €3.12
$3.13 COP 10.1K
11.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 €2.81
$1.77 COP 5,702
77.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.42 COP 4,599
37.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.88 €6.15
$3.15 COP 10.2K
118.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.57 €5.87
$5.70 COP 18.4K
15.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.14
$1.53 COP 4,948
-16.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.49 €2.23
$2.29 COP 7,397
8.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.06 €2.74
$1.94 COP 6,279
57.73%
Eggs
$4.84 €4.33
$3.07 COP 9,900
57.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.99 €24.13
$9.99 COP 32.3K
170.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.46 €12.93
$10.45 COP 33.7K
38.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.82 €23.98
$13.96 COP 45.1K
92.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.77 €3.37
$4.05 COP 13.1K
-6.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.46 €2.20
$1.53 COP 4,934
60.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.62 €4.13
$2.10 COP 6,794
120.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.93 €3.52
$2.29 COP 7,405
71.62%
Potato (1kg)
$3.07 €2.74
$2.11 COP 6,810
45.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.41 €2.15
$1.71 COP 5,518
40.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.17 COP 3,778
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.58 COP 5,101
-13.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.91 €12.43
$3.91 COP 12.6K
255.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.14 €8.17
$14.04 COP 45.3K
-34.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.21 €2.87
$1.76 COP 5,688
82.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 €3.96
$2.71 COP 8,756
63.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.18 COP 3,809
74.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.50 €40.68
$76.3 COP 246.3K
-40.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 €2.36
$1.81 COP 5,833
45.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.13 COP 6,874
-39.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.57 €35.38
$8.13 COP 26.3K
386.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.28 COP 4,117
79.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K €30.7K
$34.4K COP 111.2M
-0.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.9K €34.7K
$34.1K COP 110.2M
13.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 €169
$178 COP 573.8K
6.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.74 €15.86
$13.89 COP 44.8K
27.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.34 €32.49
$30.74 COP 99.2K
18.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.07 €31.36
$41.94 COP 135.4K
-16.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.55 €25.53
$16.80 COP 54.2K
69.94%
Cinema Ticket
$14.60 €13.05
$7.47 COP 24.1K
95.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$862 €771
$790 COP 2.6M
9.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K €10.2K
$12.3K COP 39.7M
-7.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 €82.1
$86.3 COP 278.7K
6.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.2 €47.56
$59.3 COP 191.3K
-10.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 €105
$138 COP 446.6K
-14.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$152 €136
$98.8 COP 319.0K
54.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$852 €761
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-36.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$745 €666
$667 COP 2.2M
11.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,707 €1,526
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-13.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,408 €1,259
$1,033 COP 3.3M
36.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,121 €4,580
$4,098 COP 13.2M
24.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,430 €3,067
$1,940 COP 6.3M
76.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Marseille
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,637 €2,358
$646 COP 2.1M
308.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
10.94
-64.26%

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

Last update for Marseille: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Marseille
$745
Medellin
$667 10.4% $78
Groceries & Markets
Marseille
$456
Medellin
$307 32.6% $149
Eating Out
Marseille
$287
Medellin
$173 39.8% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marseille
$244
Medellin
$222 8.7% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Marseille
$187
Medellin
$172 7.8% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Marseille
$64
Medellin
$57 11.5% $7.4
Getting Around
Marseille
$63
Medellin
$93 48.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Marseille versus $1,341 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 Marseille are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Marseille versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Marseille
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
03:30 3:30 AM
21:30 9:30 PM
6 h behind Marseille
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
873,076
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Marseille Medellin 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Marseille
  • 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
Marseille vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Marseille or Medellin?
Marseille costs about 21% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Marseille and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,067 per month in Marseille and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Marseille or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marseille, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How do dining costs compare in Marseille and in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Marseille and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Marseille compared to Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,045 in Marseille and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Marseille or in Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,045 in Marseille and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Marseille or Medellin?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $2,045 in Marseille. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Marseille or to Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marseille makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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