Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,300 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Addis Ababa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,300 in Addis Ababa.

Medellin $1,639
Addis Ababa $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,914 in Addis Ababa.

Medellin $2,413
Addis Ababa $1,914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,528 in Addis Ababa.

Medellin $3,186
Addis Ababa $2,528

Living in Medellin is roughly 26% more expensive than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Addis Ababa is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.07 ETB 654

98.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$42.77 ETB 6,881

10.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.63 ETB 1,067

43.29%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$0.88 ETB 141

242.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.58 ETB 93.8

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.64 ETB 103

120.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.77 ETB 124

312.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.23 ETB 359

157.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.07 ETB 172

41.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.16 ETB 186

105.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.17 ETB 349

-18.43%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.79 ETB 287

61.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.51 ETB 1,209

35.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$10.28 ETB 1,654

-3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.49 ETB 1,527

47.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.25 ETB 844

-24.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.64 ETB 102

142.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.12 ETB 341

2.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.65 ETB 105

235.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.50 ETB 81.0

292.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.08 ETB 174

47.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.69 ETB 111

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.58 ETB 92.7

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$8.01 ETB 1,289

-50.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.68 ETB 914

140.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.67 ETB 108

147.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.22 ETB 196

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.51 ETB 82.6

129.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$21.05 ETB 3,387

267.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.29 ETB 208

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.29 ETB 47.28

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.96 ETB 315

336.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.96 ETB 155

40.63%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

-38.80%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$56.1K ETB 9.0M

-38.22%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$202 ETB 32.5K

-16.08%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.50 ETB 1,206

80.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$213 ETB 34.3K

-86.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$44.97 ETB 7,236

-2.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$36.87 ETB 5,933

-53.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.77 ETB 607

83.29%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$633 ETB 101.9K

25.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-70.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$32.81 ETB 5,279

158.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$69.5 ETB 11.2K

-16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$77.5 ETB 12.5K

74.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$82.9 ETB 13.3K

18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$707 ETB 113.8K

70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$392 ETB 63.0K

63.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,299 ETB 369.9K

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$774 ETB 124.5K

30.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,976 ETB 318.0K

111.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,025 ETB 165.0K

86.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$200 ETB 32.2K

228.18%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Addis Ababa

$392 30.1% 39% $250

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Addis Ababa

$213 16.4% 28.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Addis Ababa

$423 32.5% 100% $212

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Addis Ababa

$76 5.9% 55.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Addis Ababa

$118 9.1% 30.1% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 72.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Addis Ababa

$53 4% 8.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $707 in Addis Ababa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $43 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $213 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

03:59 3:59 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,500,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Addis Ababa 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Addis Ababa

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 Addis Ababa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,300 in Addis Ababa, so Addis Ababa is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.3 times higher, 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $707 in Addis Ababa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,300 in Addis Ababa – Addis Ababa is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 73% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Addis Ababa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.