Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bambous

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $544 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bambous

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $544 in Bambous.

Medellin $1,639
Bambous $544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $915 in Bambous.

Medellin $2,413
Bambous $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,286 in Bambous.

Medellin $3,186
Bambous $1,286

Living in Medellin is roughly 201% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bambous is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.34 MUR 202

86.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$38.18 MUR 1,779

23.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.36 MUR 203

117.89%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.13 MUR 99.4

41.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.08 MUR 50.1

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.43 MUR 20.24

227.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.63 MUR 123

20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.63 MUR 75.8

252.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.16 MUR 53.9

30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.72 MUR 33.72

230.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.07 MUR 49.89

65.42%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.53 MUR 118

14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.22 MUR 243

95.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.27 MUR 152

201.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$4.16 MUR 194

236.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.14 MUR 99.8

85.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.69 MUR 125

-42.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.44 MUR 67.3

51.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.01 MUR 140

-27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.96 MUR 44.61

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.94 MUR 43.93

69.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.73 MUR 34.14

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.84 MUR 39.11

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.29 MUR 293

-37.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.40 MUR 391

62.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.64 MUR 76.6

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.40 MUR 112

-5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.15 MUR 193

-69.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$3.17 MUR 148

-35.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$21.38 MUR 996

-60.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.37 MUR 64.0

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-7.76%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

9.91%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$45.44 MUR 2,117

273.35%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.66 MUR 497

27.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.69 MUR 1,336

-2.16%

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

$6.50 MUR 303

6.31%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$130 MUR 6,035

514.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,619 MUR 354.9K

19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$77.0 MUR 3,589

9.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$73.9 MUR 3,441

-21.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$122 MUR 5,671

10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$78.0 MUR 3,633

25.47%

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

6.67

64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bambous

$173 31.8% 41.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bambous

$85 15.6% 59.9% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bambous

$96 17.6% 43.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bambous

$158 29% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bambous

$20 * 3.7% 78.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bambous

$13 * 2.4% 77.4% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Bambous for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $173 per month, with Bambous cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,300

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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 = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bambous 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bambous

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $544 in Bambous, so Bambous is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $817 in Bambous 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 $130 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $544 in Bambous versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous 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.