Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $850 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Apia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $850 in Apia.

Medellin $1,692
Apia $850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,289 in Apia.

Medellin $2,471
Apia $2,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,728 in Apia.

Medellin $3,249
Apia $3,728

Living in Medellin is roughly 99% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Apia is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$46.83 WST 130

-82.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$35.74 WST 99.4

30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$14.46 WST 40.22

-34.51%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.94 WST 8.17

6.46%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$1.79 WST 4.99

-1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$1.40 WST 3.89

1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$3.52 WST 9.79

-10.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$3.73 WST 10.36

52.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.79 WST 4.96

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$0.85 WST 2.37

169.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$1.83 WST 5.09

6.01%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$4.30 WST 11.95

-28.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$0.93 WST 2.60

974.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$3.58 WST 9.94

191.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$8.13 WST 22.61

71.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$5.06 WST 14.08

-19.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$1.86 WST 5.18

-17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$1.84 WST 5.13

14.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$4.43 WST 12.33

-48.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$3.71 WST 10.31

-43.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$1.06 WST 2.95

61.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.23 WST 3.41

28.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.28 WST 17.46

-37.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$16.68 WST 46.39

-15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$1.78 WST 4.94

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$3.74 WST 10.41

-27.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$3.66 WST 10.19

-67.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$5.58 WST 15.51

-67.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$5.42 WST 15.07

-60.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$22.23 WST 61.8

-63.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.06 WST 2.96

20.75%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$17.96 WST 49.93

889.59%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$18.09 WST 50.3

-23.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$35.80 WST 99.6

-14.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,764 WST 4,905

-41.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Apia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Apia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $36 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $240 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 WST = 0.36 USD

1 WST = 0.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.78 WST (1 WST = 0.36 USD). 1 EUR = 3.12 WST (1 WST = 0.32 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Apia 10,840 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Apia

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 Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,275 in Apia 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $850 in Apia – Apia is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.