Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ambatolampy

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $466 a month against $1,639 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 Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ambatolampy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $466 in Ambatolampy.

Medellin $1,639
Ambatolampy $466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $689 in Ambatolampy.

Medellin $2,413
Ambatolampy $689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $912 in Ambatolampy.

Medellin $3,186
Ambatolampy $912

Living in Medellin is roughly 252% more expensive than in Ambatolampy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ambatolampy is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

211.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$9.84 MGA 45.0K

378.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.64 MGA 25.8K

68.44%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.58 MGA 7,247

90.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.75 MGA 3,424

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.45 MGA 2,053

213.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$0.94 MGA 4,317

238.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.14 MGA 9,775

168.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.85 MGA 3,889

77.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.98 MGA 4,478

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.70 MGA 3,222

152.86%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.95 MGA 8,925

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.48 MGA 38.8K

20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.39 MGA 20.1K

124.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$4.86 MGA 22.2K

187.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.03 MGA 4,716

285.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.56 MGA 2,582

176.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.03 MGA 4,694

111.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.82 MGA 3,735

165.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.54 MGA 2,484

262.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.91 MGA 4,144

74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.31 MGA 1,437

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.71 MGA 3,255

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.57 MGA 7,168

152.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

183.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.01 MGA 4,601

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.82 MGA 8,327

24.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.34 MGA 15.3K

-61.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.94 MGA 8,871

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.37 MGA 20.0K

95.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.83 MGA 3,806

62.65%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$11.7K MGA 53.7M

190.26%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.3K MGA 116.0M

36.83%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$71.4 MGA 327.0K

137.47%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$16.52 MGA 75.6K

-17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$54.7 MGA 250.3K

-48.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.37 MGA 24.6K

28.68%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$23.91 MGA 109.4K

3231.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.5K MGA 66.5M

-37.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$28.41 MGA 130.0K

198.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$26.96 MGA 123.4K

114.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$75.8 MGA 346.9K

78.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$68.6 MGA 313.8K

42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

15.75

-30.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ambatolampy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ambatolampy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ambatolampy

$139 29.9% 53.2% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ambatolampy

$143 30.6% 32.5% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ambatolampy

$70 15.1% 58.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ambatolampy

$90 19.3% 46.8% $79

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ambatolampy

$13 * 2.8% 86.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.3% 81.3% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $10 in Ambatolampy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $139 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

13:55 1:55 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

32,291

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,577 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ambatolampy 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ambatolampy

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 Ambatolampy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $699 in Ambatolampy to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $24 in Ambatolampy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $466 in Ambatolampy versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.