Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abidjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,222 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Abidjan

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 Abidjan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,222 in Abidjan.

Medellin $1,589
Abidjan $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,090 in Abidjan.

Medellin $2,364
Abidjan $2,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $2,957 in Abidjan.

Medellin $3,139
Abidjan $2,957

Living in Medellin is roughly 30% more expensive than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Abidjan is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$2.59 F CFA 1,512

209.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$67.8 F CFA 39.6K

-31.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$10.46 F CFA 6,113

-9.85%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

57.30%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$0.72 F CFA 419

143.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$0.76 F CFA 446

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.04 F CFA 610

200.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$1.66 F CFA 970

234.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$2.10 F CFA 1,229

-32.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$0.49 F CFA 289

397.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$1.14 F CFA 666

42.98%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$2.29 F CFA 1,339

23.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$25.21 F CFA 14.7K

-61.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$5.73 F CFA 3,348

62.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$6.00 F CFA 3,508

124.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$3.91 F CFA 2,285

2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$1.04 F CFA 607

42.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$2.09 F CFA 1,221

1.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$2.39 F CFA 1,396

-5.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$1.76 F CFA 1,031

8.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$1.59 F CFA 932

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.59 F CFA 345

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$0.86 F CFA 502

46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$1.75 F CFA 1,021

118.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$5.22 F CFA 3,049

151.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$1.06 F CFA 618

50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$1.16 F CFA 678

94.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.92 F CFA 535

27.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$42.81 F CFA 25.0K

75.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$1.67 F CFA 976

-23.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$1.72 F CFA 1,007

19.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$25.89 F CFA 15.1K

-68.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$1.51 F CFA 883

-15.89%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$28.1K F CFA 16.4M

-4.85%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$27.0K F CFA 15.8M

27.25%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$163 F CFA 95.4K

-0.58%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$24.63 F CFA 14.4K

-46.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$35.38 F CFA 20.7K

-20.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

-36.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$21.29 F CFA 12.4K

-23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$8.65 F CFA 5,058

-29.60%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$367 F CFA 214.6K

108.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$4,608 F CFA 2.7M

93.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$91.0 F CFA 53.2K

-6.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$36.71 F CFA 21.5K

56.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$76.2 F CFA 44.5K

72.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$137 F CFA 80.2K

-30.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$679 F CFA 396.9K

51.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$342 F CFA 200.1K

76.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$2,604 F CFA 1.5M

-30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,010 F CFA 590.4K

-1.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$2,189 F CFA 1.3M

79.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$675 F CFA 394.8K

142.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$215 F CFA 126.0K

190.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

15.75

-30.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Abidjan

$342 28.6% 43.4% $262

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Abidjan

$247 20.6% 14.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Abidjan

$223 18.6% 9.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Abidjan

$154 12.8% 7.8% $13

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Abidjan

$89 7.4% 46.7% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Abidjan

$57 4.7% 37.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Abidjan

$87 7.3% 54.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $679 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 191% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $68.0 in Abidjan. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $247, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,567,409

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,608 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Abidjan 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Abidjan

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 Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 191% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $679 in Abidjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abidjan – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $1,222 in Abidjan – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abidjan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.