Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aden

For one person, living is cheaper in Aden: $1,391 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
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Aden Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aden

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,391 in Aden, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Aden $1,391

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,353 in Aden, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Aden $2,353

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,316 in Aden, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Aden $3,316

Medellin costs about 18% more than Aden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Aden sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Aden by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.61 YER 2,975

-35.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$36.51 YER 8,611

28.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.40 YER 2,453

-8.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 YER 845

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 YER 1,039

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.98 YER 939

-24.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$3.32 YER 783

-45.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.77 YER 419

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$5.04 YER 1,189

-70.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.39 YER 563

-0.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$9.70 YER 2,289

-81.75%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$10.28 YER 2,425

-71.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.40 YER 1,982

21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$15.71 YER 3,706

-37.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$57.4 YER 13.5K

-75.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$13.16 YER 3,104

-69.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.69 YER 870

-57.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$10.46 YER 2,468

-79.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.71 YER 1,110

-53.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$4.26 YER 1,004

-53.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$4.11 YER 969

-61.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.25 YER 295

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.40 YER 331

-11.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.20 YER 1,463

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 YER 950

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.06 YER 1,194

-21.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.35 YER 81.6

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.74 YER 646

-50.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$49.54 YER 11.7K

242.45%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$10.05 YER 2,371

34.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$25.01 YER 5,900

74.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.03 YER 2,365

71.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.85 YER 1,379

18.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$33.86 YER 7,987

2252.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,289 YER 1.2M

72.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$108 YER 25.4K

-21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$84.6 YER 20.0K

-31.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$109 YER 25.6K

24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$159 YER 37.5K

-38.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$237 YER 56.0K

409.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$259 YER 61.2K

147.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$827 YER 195.1K

145.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$546 YER 128.8K

85.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$599 YER 141.3K

595.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$450 YER 106.0K

324.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$392 YER 92.6K

67.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Aden

$259 18.7% 59.6% $382

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Aden

$626 45% 111% $329

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Aden

$60 * 4.3% 71.8% $152

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Aden

$200 14.4% 18.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Aden

$207 14.9% 22.5% $38

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Aden

$1.4 * 0.1% 98.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Aden

$37 2.6% 36.2% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $237 in Aden. 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 67% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $37 in Aden. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $626 in Aden – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇾🇪 Aden

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

05:21 5:21 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

508,489

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Aden 13,120 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aden

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 Aden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 18% more than Aden, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,086 in Aden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aden, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $237 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,391 in Aden. That makes Aden about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $34 in Aden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,391 in Aden. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Aden. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.