Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aja

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aja

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $434 in Aja, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Aja $434

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $700 in Aja, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Aja $700

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $966 in Aja, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Aja $966

Medellin costs about 275% more than Aja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Aja is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$3.89 E£217

113.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$15.29 E£853

206.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.67 E£261

97.86%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,596

$1.25 E£69.6

144.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,659

$0.32 E£17.97

462.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,345

$0.11 E£6.41

1154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.32 E£73.4

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.87 E£160

93.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,720

$0.80 E£44.55

87.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,445

$0.71 E£39.66

233.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,332

$0.62 E£34.70

174.19%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,301

$1.21 E£67.4

144.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$3.26 E£182

213.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$4.01 E£223

142.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$7.95 E£443

74.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.51 E£84.5

173.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$0.64 E£35.80

139.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,993

$0.49 E£27.13

353.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$0.33 E£18.14

587.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,258

$0.34 E£19.13

485.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,241

$0.31 E£17.13

438.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.25 E£13.88

372.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,886

$0.17 E£9.33

629.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$1.92 E£107

101.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$6.30 E£351

118.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,212

$1.23 E£68.7

34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,552

$2.02 E£112

18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.20 E£11.12

520.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$0.36 E£20.17

255.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.16 E£9.19

1243.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$1.22 E£67.8

586.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$0.46 E£25.42

193.48%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$31.6K E£1.8M

10.16%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.9K E£1.4M

39.55%

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

$167 COP 524.0K

$14.99 E£836

1011.74%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$7.02 E£392

94.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$13.55 E£756

114.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$16.16 E£901

179.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$2.78 E£155

150.72%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$87.4 E£4,875

803.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$1,900 E£105.9K

375.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$17.08 E£953

414.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.8K

$43.98 E£2,453

32.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.0K

$115 E£6,420

20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$56.1 E£3,129

76.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$131 E£7,287

686.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$77.0 E£4,294

704.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$255 E£14.2K

637.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$146 E£8,164

588.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$755 E£42.1K

428.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$347 E£19.3K

390.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.21

-32.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aja: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Aja

$77 17.8% 87.6% $542

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Aja

$119 27.3% 60.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Aja

$36 8.2% 83% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Aja

$105 24.1% 39.5% $68

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Aja

$74 17.1% 56.6% $97

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Aja

$2 * 0.5% 97.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Aja

$22 5% 63.2% $37

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 $131 in Aja. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $15 in Aja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $119 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Aja

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

47,013

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Aja 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aja

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 Aja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 275% more than Aja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $650 in Aja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $434 in Aja. That’s a gap of about 275%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $87 in Aja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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