Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Assela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $835 in Assela.

Medellin $1,614
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,203 in Assela.

Medellin $2,402
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,571 in Assela.

Medellin $3,190
Assela $1,571

Living in Medellin is roughly 93% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.96 ETB 636

100.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$42.32 ETB 6,793

9.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.66 ETB 1,069

42.64%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$0.96 ETB 153

223.96%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.64 ETB 102

185.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.68 ETB 109

102.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$0.83 ETB 133

267.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.20 ETB 353

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.05 ETB 169

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.17 ETB 188

101.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.22 ETB 357

-24.32%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.78 ETB 286

60.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.18 ETB 1,152

41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-6.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.17 ETB 1,471

53.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.43 ETB 871

-25.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.68 ETB 109

120.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.17 ETB 348

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.66 ETB 106

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.47 ETB 75.4

310.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.05 ETB 169

56.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.66 ETB 106

71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.60 ETB 96.9

108.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-50.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.49 ETB 881

143.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.66 ETB 106

157.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.22 ETB 196

94.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.29 ETB 207

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.29 ETB 46.58

637.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.03 ETB 325

317.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.90 ETB 144

44.44%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-48.44%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-37.28%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$201 ETB 32.2K

-14.35%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.11 ETB 1,141

88.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$209 ETB 33.5K

-86.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$3.83 ETB 614

63.97%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$137 ETB 22.1K

460.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-70.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$33.25 ETB 5,337

159.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

75.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

18.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.5

-40.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Assela

$211 25.3% 28.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Assela

$417 50% 94.7% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Assela

$119 14.3% 30.1% $51

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Assela

$77 9.2% 54.3% $91

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 97.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 86.8% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $211 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

17:47 5:47 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

139,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Assela 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $1,252 in Assela 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 $770 in Medellin versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Assela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.