Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bosaso

For one person, living is cheaper in Bosaso: $315 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Bosaso

🇸🇴 Somalia

$315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bosaso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $315 in Bosaso.

Medellin $1,589
Bosaso $315

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $487 in Bosaso.

Medellin $2,364
Bosaso $487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $659 in Bosaso.

Medellin $3,139
Bosaso $659

Living in Medellin is roughly 405% more expensive than in Bosaso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Bosaso is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$1.95 SOS 1,108

310.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.05 SOS 2,870

86.73%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$1.52 SOS 861

91.45%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.02 SOS 579

71.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.68 SOS 387

94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$3.09 SOS 1,755

-54.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$0.42 SOS 238

288.10%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$3.02 SOS 1,718

208.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$4.09 SOS 2,322

229.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.95 SOS 1,109

105.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$3.09 SOS 1,754

-52.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.53 SOS 870

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$0.98 SOS 559

289.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.29 SOS 164

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.79 SOS 1,015

-29.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.92 SOS 525

122.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$2.55 SOS 1,450

221.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.88 SOS 498

44.32%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

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

$162 COP 516.9K

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$10.01 SOS 5,687

31.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$31.86 SOS 18.1K

-11.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

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

$764 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$11.10 SOS 6,304

665.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$14.78 SOS 8,397

288.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$12.85 SOS 7,301

925.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$15.25 SOS 8,665

527.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$124 SOS 70.5K

728.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$86.4 SOS 49.1K

599.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$200 SOS 113.4K

802.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$192 SOS 108.9K

417.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$30.3K SOS 17.2M

-87.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$294 SOS 167.3K

112.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bosaso: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Bosaso

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Bosaso

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Bosaso

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Bosaso

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Bosaso

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Bosaso

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Bosaso

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $124 in Bosaso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 113% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇴 Bosaso

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

74,287

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 636 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bosaso 13,600 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Bosaso

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 Bosaso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Bosaso differ by about 405% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $315 including rent). Bosaso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 113% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $124 in Bosaso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 170% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $315 in Bosaso – a 405% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $315 in Bosaso versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bosaso but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bosaso 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.

Expats usually find Bosaso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 405% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.