Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $661 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
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Battambang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Battambang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $661 in Battambang.

Medellin $1,639
Battambang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,046 in Battambang.

Medellin $2,413
Battambang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,431 in Battambang.

Medellin $3,186
Battambang $1,431

Living in Medellin is roughly 148% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Battambang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.43 ៛9,886

232.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$18.26 ៛74.4K

157.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.31 ៛25.7K

50.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.37 ៛5,564

119.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.67 ៛2,718

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.48 ៛1,938

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.84 ៛3,419

278.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.23 ៛9,106

157.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.25 ៛9,176

-32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.01 ៛4,130

135.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.02 ៛4,148

73.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.72 ៛7,023

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.23 ៛58.0K

-28.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.43 ៛9,890

306.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.45 ៛38.5K

48.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.26 ៛17.3K

-6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.28 ៛5,213

21.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$4.60 ៛18.7K

-52.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.92 ៛7,844

13.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.76 ៛7,186

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.14 ៛4,627

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.78 ៛3,164

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.75 ៛3,057

65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.92 ៛7,820

106.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$10.89 ៛44.4K

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.64 ៛2,616

159.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$0.98 ៛3,984

130.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.85 ៛3,472

49.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.89 ៛3,637

130.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.96 ៛20.2K

72.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.20 ៛4,887

12.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$35.2K ៛143.5M

-3.27%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$34.3K ៛139.7M

1.12%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$64.2 ៛261.6K

164.29%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$2.72 ៛11.1K

398.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$25.32 ៛103.2K

10.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$22.07 ៛89.9K

98.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.03 ៛20.5K

37.38%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$89.2 ៛363.6K

792.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,929 ៛16.0M

131.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$20.29 ៛82.7K

317.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$23.97 ៛97.7K

141.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$90.0 ៛366.6K

50.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$44.81 ៛182.6K

118.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$228 ៛930.9K

428.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$153 ៛621.8K

320.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$420 ៛1.7M

382.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$322 ៛1.3M

214.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$203 ៛826.8K

223.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.25

50.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Battambang

$153 23.1% 76.2% $489

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Battambang

$230 34.8% 22.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Battambang

$92 14% 56.3% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 59.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Battambang

$81 12.2% 52.3% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Battambang

$5.3 * 0.8% 94.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 44.1% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $228 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $18 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $230 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

196,709

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Battambang 17,860 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Battambang

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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.2 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 $228 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $89 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Battambang versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

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