Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Biskra

For one person, living is cheaper in Biskra: $536 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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 Biskra
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Biskra Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Biskra

🇩🇿 Algeria

$536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Biskra

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $536 in Biskra, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Biskra $536

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $864 in Biskra, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Biskra $864

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,193 in Biskra, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Biskra $1,193

Medellin costs about 206% more than Biskra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Biskra is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.73 DZD 369

196.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$28.43 DZD 3,842

65.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.89 DZD 525

144.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.36 DZD 184

121.32%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.07 DZD 145

68.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.32 DZD 43.88

340.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.50 DZD 203

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.42 DZD 327

137.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.40 DZD 189

7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.14 DZD 18.32

1600.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.31 DZD 177

35.11%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.41 DZD 191

104.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.08 DZD 822

67.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.37 DZD 456

192.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$18.48 DZD 2,498

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.69 DZD 499

7.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.24 DZD 439

-52.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.80 DZD 244

21.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.68 DZD 91.6

220.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.74 DZD 100

164.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.45 DZD 61.4

253.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.38 DZD 51.4

202.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.35 DZD 46.73

254.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.59 DZD 486

10.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.35 DZD 858

115.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.32 DZD 179

25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.99 DZD 269

13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.23 DZD 31.16

408.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$7.36 DZD 995

951.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.14 DZD 154

11.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.41 DZD 54.8

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.85 DZD 656

76.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.38 DZD 51.3

255.26%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$31.5K DZD 4.3M

8.17%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.8K DZD 4.6M

2.57%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$35.73 DZD 4,829

374.81%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$8.38 DZD 1,133

61.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$14.43 DZD 1,950

94.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$21.99 DZD 2,972

98.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.37 DZD 591

58.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$330 DZD 44.6K

141.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,769 DZD 644.5K

91.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$31.89 DZD 4,311

165.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$20.47 DZD 2,766

183.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$68.5 DZD 9,260

96.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$28.56 DZD 3,860

242.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$139 DZD 18.8K

766.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$103 DZD 13.9K

524.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$156 DZD 21.1K

1199.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$143 DZD 19.4K

605.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$978 DZD 132.2K

326.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,053 DZD 142.3K

81.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$229 DZD 31.0K

186.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.3

106.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Biskra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Biskra

$103 19.2% 84% $539

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Biskra

$197 36.8% 33.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Biskra

$59 10.9% 72.3% $153

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Biskra

$68 12.6% 60.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Biskra

$67 12.6% 60.2% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Biskra

$11 2.1% 87.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Biskra

$31 5.7% 46.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $139 in Biskra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.9 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in Biskra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $197 – making Biskra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇿 Biskra

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

205,608

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Biskra 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Biskra

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 Biskra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 206%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $804 in Biskra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Biskra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $139 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $536 in Biskra. That makes Biskra about 67% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Biskra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Biskra, where all-in costs run around $536, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Biskra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Biskra – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Biskra. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.