Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abalessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Abalessa: $525 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Abalessa
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Abalessa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Abalessa

🇩🇿 Algeria

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Abalessa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Abalessa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $525 in Abalessa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Abalessa $525

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $839 in Abalessa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Abalessa $839

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,153 in Abalessa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Abalessa $1,153

Medellin costs about 212% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Abalessa is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.63 DZD 491

122.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$15.45 DZD 2,088

204.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.37 DZD 456

181.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$0.62 DZD 83.2

385.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.62 DZD 83.9

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.25 DZD 33.31

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.67 DZD 226

90.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.30 DZD 311

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$0.80 DZD 108

88.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$0.12 DZD 16.10

1883.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$1.30 DZD 175

36.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$1.04 DZD 140

177.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.95 DZD 939

46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.61 DZD 489

173.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$12.56 DZD 1,698

11.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.13 DZD 288

86.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$2.77 DZD 374

-44.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.05 DZD 142

107.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.82 DZD 110

165.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$0.58 DZD 78.5

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.47 DZD 63.2

238.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.77 DZD 105

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.28 DZD 37.92

342.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.87 DZD 388

37.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.54 DZD 883

109.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.36 DZD 184

22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$2.13 DZD 288

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.23 DZD 31.70

408.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$7.08 DZD 957

992.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$0.64 DZD 86.8

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$0.44 DZD 59.9

365.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.00 DZD 676

71.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.31 DZD 42.08

335.48%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$29.0K DZD 3.9M

17.56%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$37.3K DZD 5.0M

-6.93%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$35.70 DZD 4,825

375.21%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.32 DZD 1,395

31.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$12.33 DZD 1,667

127.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$20.78 DZD 2,808

110.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.41 DZD 596

56.69%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$334 DZD 45.1K

138.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,930 DZD 666.3K

84.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$33.29 DZD 4,499

154.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$35.88 DZD 4,850

61.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$73.4 DZD 9,919

83.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$79.5 DZD 10.7K

23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$128 DZD 17.3K

842.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$99.1 DZD 13.4K

547.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$272 DZD 36.8K

644.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$195 DZD 26.3K

420.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,070 DZD 144.6K

289.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,084 DZD 146.6K

76.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.3

106.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abalessa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Abalessa

$99 18.9% 84.5% $542

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Abalessa

$164 31.2% 44.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Abalessa

$58 11.1% 72.4% $153

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Abalessa

$63 12% 62.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Abalessa

$100 19% 40.9% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Abalessa

$11 2.1% 88.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Abalessa

$30 5.6% 48.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $128 in Abalessa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $15 in Abalessa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $164 – making Abalessa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇿 Abalessa

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Abalessa 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Abalessa

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

Medellin vs Abalessa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 212% more than Abalessa, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $787 in Abalessa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abalessa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 81% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $15 in Abalessa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Abalessa, where all-in costs run around $525, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Abalessa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Abalessa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Abalessa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 68% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.