Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $452 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $452 in Alexandria, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Alexandria $452

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $750 in Alexandria, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Alexandria $750

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,048 in Alexandria, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Alexandria $1,048

Medellin costs about 259% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Alexandria is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$4.22 E£225

96.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$18.66 E£996

151.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.74 E£253

94.94%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.26 E£67.3

142.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.30 E£15.96

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.12 E£6.31

1050.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.33 E£70.9

143.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.74 E£146

102.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.84 E£44.97

78.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.71 E£37.73

233.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.58 E£30.74

193.10%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.10 E£59.0

169.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$3.66 E£195

179.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.19 E£224

132.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.17 E£490

51.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.46 E£77.7

182.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.78 E£41.63

96.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.51 E£27.48

335.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.34 E£18.27

567.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.24 E£12.77

729.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.30 E£15.98

456.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.27 E£14.47

337.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.22 E£11.93

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.86 E£99.6

108.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.62 E£300

145.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.16 E£61.9

43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.15 E£115

11.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.22 E£11.66

463.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$10.95 E£585

614.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.57 E£30.48

124.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.49 E£26.19

338.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.11 E£59.1

654.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.45 E£24.16

200.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$32.8K E£1.8M

6.07%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.2K E£1.3M

37.76%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$14.02 E£749

1088.66%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.60 E£353

106.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$12.75 E£681

128.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$12.39 E£662

263.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$7.31 E£390

135.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$2.73 E£146

155.31%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$85.2 E£4,549

827.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,035 E£108.6K

344.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$32.61 E£1,741

169.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$45.28 E£2,418

28.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$125 E£6,687

10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$54.9 E£2,933

80.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$131 E£7,020

682.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$69.3 E£3,702

793.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$279 E£14.9K

574.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$142 E£7,603

607.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$679 E£36.2K

487.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$431 E£23.0K

295.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$137 E£7,313

384.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.33

-48.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Alexandria

$69 15.3% 88.8% $550

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Alexandria

$124 27.4% 58.4% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Alexandria

$33 7.4% 84.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Alexandria

$116 25.7% 32.8% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Alexandria

$77 17% 55% $94

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Alexandria

$15 3.3% 84.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Alexandria

$18 4% 69.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $131 in Alexandria. 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 384% 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 $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $124 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Alexandria 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 259% more than Alexandria, 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 $678 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $85.2 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $452 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. 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.