Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bouake

For one person, living is cheaper in Bouake: $749 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bouake
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Bouake Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bouake

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bouake

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $749 in Bouake.

Medellin $1,639
Bouake $749

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,250 in Bouake.

Medellin $2,413
Bouake $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,750 in Bouake.

Medellin $3,186
Bouake $1,750

Living in Medellin is roughly 119% more expensive than in Bouake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bouake is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.59 F CFA 1,522

212.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$67.8 F CFA 39.8K

-30.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.41 F CFA 6,115

-8.74%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.90 F CFA 1,115

58.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.72 F CFA 420

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.71 F CFA 414

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.04 F CFA 610

205.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.69 F CFA 991

240.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.00 F CFA 1,177

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.50 F CFA 294

376.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.15 F CFA 675

53.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.18 F CFA 1,280

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$25.13 F CFA 14.8K

-59.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.65 F CFA 3,322

74.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.17 F CFA 4,211

95.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.44 F CFA 2,606

-10.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.07 F CFA 629

44.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.02 F CFA 1,185

7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.31 F CFA 1,354

-5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.76 F CFA 1,031

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.61 F CFA 944

-1.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.54 F CFA 318

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.83 F CFA 490

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.72 F CFA 1,008

130.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.93 F CFA 3,481

130.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.00 F CFA 588

66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.18 F CFA 693

91.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.73 F CFA 1,019

-26.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.67 F CFA 982

22.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$25.82 F CFA 15.2K

-66.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.43 F CFA 843

-5.59%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.2K F CFA 16.6M

20.88%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.2K F CFA 15.4M

32.52%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$167 F CFA 98.2K

1.52%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$21.08 F CFA 12.4K

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$35.38 F CFA 20.8K

-20.66%

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

$8.46 F CFA 4,970

-18.32%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$361 F CFA 211.9K

120.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,597 F CFA 2.7M

98.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$90.2 F CFA 53.0K

-6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.95 F CFA 21.7K

56.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$83.9 F CFA 49.3K

60.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$141 F CFA 82.6K

-30.43%

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

15.75

-30.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bouake: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bouake

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bouake

$252 33.6% 15.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bouake

$224 29.8% 5.8% $12

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bouake

$89 11.9% 47.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bouake

$158 21.1% 6.3% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bouake

$10 * 1.4% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bouake

$17 * 2.3% 70.6% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Bouake. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $252, with Bouake cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇮 Bouake

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

832,371

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bouake 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bouake

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 Bouake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bouake wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bouake the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,124 in Bouake 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $749 in Bouake – Bouake is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.