Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buea

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $739 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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 Buea
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Buea Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Buea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $739 in Buea.

Medellin $1,639
Buea $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,340 in Buea.

Medellin $2,413
Buea $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,941 in Buea.

Medellin $3,186
Buea $1,941

Living in Medellin is roughly 122% more expensive than in Buea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Buea is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.69 FCFA 986

378.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$117 FCFA 68.5K

-59.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.06 FCFA 3,545

56.77%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.04 FCFA 1,194

47.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.25 FCFA 732

44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.46 FCFA 269

206.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$0.99 FCFA 579

221.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.50 FCFA 875

283.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.78 FCFA 1,628

-45.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.40 FCFA 232

495.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.53 FCFA 897

15.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.87 FCFA 1,093

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$21.74 FCFA 12.7K

-53.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.58 FCFA 4,431

30.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$4.36 FCFA 2,550

220.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.43 FCFA 2,006

15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.38 FCFA 804

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.88 FCFA 514

147.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.31 FCFA 769

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.72 FCFA 1,008

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.39 FCFA 812

14.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.73 FCFA 425

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.61 FCFA 359

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.64 FCFA 1,542

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.70 FCFA 5,086

57.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.16 FCFA 676

43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

30.64%

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

$0.27 FCFA 158

370.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.53 FCFA 308

286.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.99 FCFA 2,919

71.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.20 FCFA 699

12.50%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$18.7K FCFA 10.9M

82.25%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

122.81%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$59.1 FCFA 34.6K

186.96%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$16.88 FCFA 9,875

-19.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$167 FCFA 97.8K

-83.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$25.69 FCFA 15.0K

70.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$4.25 FCFA 2,484

304.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.54 FCFA 4,993

-19.09%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$506 FCFA 296.0K

57.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,349 FCFA 2.0M

172.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$34.09 FCFA 19.9K

148.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$65.7 FCFA 38.4K

-11.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$137 FCFA 80.0K

-1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$67.9 FCFA 39.7K

44.07%

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

$130 FCFA 76.2K

404.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

19.04

-42.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Buea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Buea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Buea

$242 32.8% 18.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Buea

$243 32.9% 15.1% $32

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Buea

$71 9.6% 58.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Buea

$137 18.5% 18.9% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4% 96.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Buea

$43 5.8% 25.7% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $117 in Buea. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $242, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇲 Buea

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,325,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Buea 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Buea

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 Buea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $739 in Buea, so Buea is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $506 in Buea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $117 in Buea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Buea versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buea but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Buea 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.

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