Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ain Beida

For one person, living is cheaper in Ain Beida: $557 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Ain Beida
🇩🇿 Algeria
$557
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ain Beida

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $557 in Ain Beida, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Ain Beida $557

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $891 in Ain Beida, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Ain Beida $891

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,224 in Ain Beida, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Ain Beida $1,224

Medellin costs about 190% more than Ain Beida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ain Beida is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$3.14 DZD 421
152.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$16.79 DZD 2,248
174.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$3.99 DZD 534
138.10%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$0.63 DZD 84.6
393.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$0.62 DZD 83.5
195.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$0.26 DZD 35.05
430.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$1.39 DZD 186
119.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$2.12 DZD 284
159.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$0.90 DZD 120
61.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$0.13 DZD 16.99
1715.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$1.95 DZD 261
-13.85%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$1.19 DZD 159
140.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$12.86 DZD 1,721
-20.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$4.58 DZD 614
108.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$15.38 DZD 2,059
-8.71%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$2.10 DZD 282
93.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$2.70 DZD 361
-44.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$1.11 DZD 149
95.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$0.89 DZD 119
159.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$0.57 DZD 76.4
238.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$0.45 DZD 59.9
264.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$0.71 DZD 94.5
59.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$0.25 DZD 33.11
400.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$2.58 DZD 345
54.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$6.54 DZD 875
104.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$1.43 DZD 191
18.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$1.83 DZD 245
29.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
$0.23 DZD 30.87
426.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
$6.82 DZD 913
1021.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$0.55 DZD 74.2
140.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$0.43 DZD 57.6
397.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$5.36 DZD 717
58.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$0.33 DZD 44.00
293.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$31.0K DZD 4.2M
-9.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$34.1K DZD 4.6M
3.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$36.64 DZD 4,905
369.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$9.08 DZD 1,216
47.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$12.22 DZD 1,635
135.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$22.02 DZD 2,949
105.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$4.43 DZD 593
41.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$331 DZD 44.4K
132.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$4,780 DZD 639.9K
88.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$32.53 DZD 4,355
165.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$34.97 DZD 4,682
63.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$67.5 DZD 9,031
102.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$81.4 DZD 10.9K
20.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$125 DZD 16.7K
746.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$103 DZD 13.8K
497.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$294 DZD 39.3K
543.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$191 DZD 25.5K
436.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$1,036 DZD 138.7K
291.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$905 DZD 121.1K
85.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ain Beida
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$303 DZD 40.6K
114.98%
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 12, 2026

Last update for Ain Beida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Ain Beida
$103 83.3% $513
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Ain Beida
$198 32.7% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Ain Beida
$58 72.9% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Ain Beida
$97 42.8% $73
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Ain Beida
$59 64.7% $109
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Ain Beida
$10 88.8% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Ain Beida
$31 46.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $125 in Ain Beida. 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 115% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in Ain Beida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $198 – making Ain Beida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇩🇿 Ain Beida
🕒 Local time
21:39 9:39 PM
03:39 3:39 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
118,662
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ain Beida 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ain Beida

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 Ain Beida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Ain Beida compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $557 in Ain Beida – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Ain Beida?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $836 in Ain Beida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Ain Beida?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ain Beida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or Ain Beida?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $557 in Ain Beida. That's a gap of about 190%.
How do commuting costs compare in Medellin and in Ain Beida?
Public transport costs about 1022% less in Ain Beida. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ain Beida, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ain Beida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Ain Beida?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $557 in Ain Beida to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Medellin or Ain Beida safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Medellin and Ain Beida?
If budget matters most, go with Ain Beida. 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.

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