Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bel Air, Mauritius

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $596 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Bel Air, Mauritius
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Bel Air
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$596
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bel Air

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $596 in Bel Air.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Bel Air $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,005 in Bel Air.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Bel Air $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,415 in Bel Air.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Bel Air $1,415

Living in Medellin is roughly 175% more expensive than in Bel Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bel Air is 56% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$5.67 MUR 264
42.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$38.57 MUR 1,797
21.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$7.51 MUR 350
26.50%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$1.08 MUR 50.4
178.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.03 MUR 48.03
74.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.59 MUR 27.71
138.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.60 MUR 74.5
98.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$3.09 MUR 144
86.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.59 MUR 74.2
-5.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.74 MUR 34.61
221.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.10 MUR 51.1
60.91%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.59 MUR 121
11.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$5.17 MUR 241
97.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$6.31 MUR 294
56.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$11.38 MUR 530
22.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.77 MUR 129
43.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.57 MUR 120
-39.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.41 MUR 65.6
54.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$3.04 MUR 142
-28.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$1.00 MUR 46.65
96.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.02 MUR 47.68
55.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$0.69 MUR 32.26
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.86 MUR 39.87
44.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$6.62 MUR 308
-40.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$8.43 MUR 393
62.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.72 MUR 79.9
-3.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$2.27 MUR 106
-0.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
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
$4.19 MUR 195
-69.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.23 MUR 150
-36.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$21.07 MUR 982
-59.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.36 MUR 63.4
-0.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$36.5K MUR 1.7M
-6.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
13.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$45.82 MUR 2,135
270.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$10.71 MUR 499
26.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$29.24 MUR 1,362
-4.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
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
$6.20 MUR 289
11.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$130 MUR 6,047
513.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$7,780 MUR 362.4K
17.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$78.5 MUR 3,655
7.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$73.4 MUR 3,417
-20.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$122 MUR 5,695
10.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$77.1 MUR 3,590
27.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Bel Air
Difference
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 Bel Air: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Bel Air
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Bel Air
$218 26.8% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Bel Air
$86 59.4% $126
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Bel Air
$102 40.1% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Bel Air
$158 6.5% $11
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Bel Air
$20 * 78.3% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Bel Air
$12 * 78.4% $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 $39 in Bel Air for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $218 per month, with Bel Air cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇺 Bel Air
🕒 Local time
12:19 12:19 PM
21:19 9:19 PM
9 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
17,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 51.98 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Bel Air 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Bel Air

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 Bel Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Bel Air?
Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Bel Air?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $893 in Bel Air 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.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Bel Air?
Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Bel Air?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $596 in Bel Air – Bel Air is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Bel Air?
At $596 in Bel Air versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Bel Air?
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.

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