Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,021 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Adama

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,021 in Adama, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Adama $1,021

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,672 in Adama, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Adama $1,672

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,323 in Adama, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Adama $2,323

Medellin costs about 56% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$2.99 ETB 480

167.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$42.94 ETB 6,900

8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$4.91 ETB 789

92.06%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$0.91 ETB 146

219.78%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$0.59 ETB 94.0

196.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.31 ETB 50.1

325.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$0.77 ETB 124

306.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$2.27 ETB 364

144.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$0.81 ETB 131

74.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.21 ETB 195

101.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.15 ETB 345

-24.19%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.81 ETB 291

55.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.25 ETB 1,165

33.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$10.12 ETB 1,626

-7.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$8.96 ETB 1,440

50.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$5.33 ETB 857

-24.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$0.63 ETB 101

134.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.12 ETB 340

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$0.65 ETB 105

246.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$0.47 ETB 75.4

306.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.04 ETB 167

55.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.66 ETB 106

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.57 ETB 91.7

121.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$8.21 ETB 1,320

-53.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$5.74 ETB 922

128.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$0.71 ETB 115

125.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$1.22 ETB 197

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.30 ETB 209

-2.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.27 ETB 43.11

659.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$1.94 ETB 312

322.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.89 ETB 143

42.70%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

-51.07%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

-37.90%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$204 ETB 32.7K

-20.40%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$7.21 ETB 1,159

81.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$211 ETB 33.8K

-86.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$3.86 ETB 620

57.77%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$136 ETB 21.9K

460.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-70.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$33.62 ETB 5,401

152.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

-17.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

69.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$350 ETB 56.2K

194.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$199 ETB 32.0K

203.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$985 ETB 158.3K

82.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$811 ETB 130.3K

22.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$101 ETB 16.3K

517.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.5

-40.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Adama

$199 19.5% 67.1% $405

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Adama

$208 20.4% 27.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Adama

$422 41.4% 107% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Adama

$118 11.6% 28.9% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Adama

$62 6% 63% $105

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 97.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8% 86.3% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $350 in Adama. 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 517% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $43.00 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $208 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

228,623

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Adama 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Medellin, $1,021 in Adama – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,531 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $43.00 in Adama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Adama, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Adama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 $1,021 in Adama to $1,589 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. 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.