Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bamako

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $894 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bamako

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $894 in Bamako.

Medellin $1,639
Bamako $894

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,462 in Bamako.

Medellin $2,413
Bamako $1,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,030 in Bamako.

Medellin $3,186
Bamako $2,030

Living in Medellin is roughly 83% more expensive than in Bamako, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bamako is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.51 F CFA 5,002

-4.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$35.63 F CFA 20.9K

32.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.10 F CFA 4,759

17.28%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.63 F CFA 955

84.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.95 F CFA 558

89.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.66 F CFA 386

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.44 F CFA 1,435

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$21.37 F CFA 12.6K

-73.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.87 F CFA 1,100

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.76 F CFA 2,207

-36.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$5.98 F CFA 3,513

-51.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$17.56 F CFA 10.3K

-41.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$15.64 F CFA 9,186

-36.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.74 F CFA 7,486

9.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.93 F CFA 2,310

1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.03 F CFA 606

50.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.78 F CFA 1,633

-21.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.13 F CFA 1,249

2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.25 F CFA 737

56.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.16 F CFA 684

37.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.11 F CFA 63.5

945.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$2.76 F CFA 1,619

-55.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.58 F CFA 926

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.63 F CFA 958

38.65%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.25 F CFA 736

64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.14 F CFA 667

18.42%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$152 F CFA 89.5K

11.33%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$64.1 F CFA 37.7K

-56.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$70.9 F CFA 41.7K

-38.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$176 F CFA 103.6K

584.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$79.1 F CFA 46.5K

711.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$506 F CFA 297.0K

301.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$305 F CFA 179.0K

232.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,251 F CFA 734.8K

52.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$264 F CFA 154.8K

149.38%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bamako: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bamako

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bamako

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bamako

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bamako

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bamako

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bamako

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bamako

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $176 in Bamako. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $36 in Bamako. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $348, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇱 Bamako

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

03:20 3:20 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,809,106 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bamako 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bamako

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 Bamako: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $176 in Bamako. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $894 in Bamako – Bamako is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bamako 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bamako wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.