Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buon Ma Thuot

For one person, living is cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot: $792 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Buon Ma Thuot
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Buon Ma Thuot Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Buon Ma Thuot

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $792 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Buon Ma Thuot $792

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,182 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Buon Ma Thuot $1,182

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,572 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Buon Ma Thuot $1,572

Medellin costs about 114% more than Buon Ma Thuot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Buon Ma Thuot is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$2.08 ₫53.6K

300.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$11.47 ₫295.4K

305.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$4.16 ₫107.1K

127.64%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.01 ₫26.1K

209.90%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.34 ₫8,697

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.38 ₫9,775

273.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.23 ₫31.6K

156.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.29 ₫33.3K

341.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.68 ₫43.2K

-8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.99 ₫25.5K

131.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.75 ₫19.4K

158.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.47 ₫37.9K

108.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$13.38 ₫344.7K

-25.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.45 ₫88.8K

202.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$10.41 ₫268.2K

34.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.26 ₫84.0K

24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.11 ₫28.5K

37.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.30 ₫33.5K

61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.13 ₫29.0K

102.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.01 ₫25.9K

108.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.05 ₫27.0K

62.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.55 ₫14.0K

112.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.56 ₫14.5K

182.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.60 ₫41.2K

144.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$8.50 ₫219.0K

65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.77 ₫19.7K

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.61 ₫41.4K

68.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.32 ₫8,288

268.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.08 ₫156.6K

1154.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.76 ₫19.5K

138.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.51 ₫13.2K

317.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.54 ₫65.3K

220.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.99 ₫25.5K

29.29%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$33.3K ₫857.2M

3.49%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$28.7K ₫738.1M

19.13%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$77.0 ₫2.0M

130.88%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$5.60 ₫144.3K

148.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$9.78 ₫251.9K

214.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$22.61 ₫582.5K

85.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$8.52 ₫219.6K

97.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$3.12 ₫80.3K

139.42%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$351 ₫9.1M

124.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$15.6K ₫403.1M

-21.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$48.54 ₫1.3M

77.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$29.52 ₫760.4K

100.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$85.1 ₫2.2M

62.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$69.6 ₫1.8M

42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$439 ₫11.3M

205.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$307 ₫7.9M

117.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$646 ₫16.7M

205.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$536 ₫13.8M

92.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,137 ₫55.1M

91.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,304 ₫33.6M

48.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.17

33.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buon Ma Thuot: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Buon Ma Thuot

$307 38.7% 54% $360

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$196 24.7% 36.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Buon Ma Thuot

$92 11.7% 58.5% $130

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$53 6.7% 69.4% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$105 13.2% 39.2% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$11 1.4% 88.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Buon Ma Thuot

$29 3.6% 49.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $439 in Buon Ma Thuot. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $11 in Buon Ma Thuot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $196 – making Buon Ma Thuot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Buon Ma Thuot

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

02:50 2:50 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

245,951

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Buon Ma Thuot 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $792 in Buon Ma Thuot – Buon Ma Thuot comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,188 in Buon Ma Thuot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $11 in Buon Ma Thuot. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $792 in Buon Ma Thuot. That makes Buon Ma Thuot about 53% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Buon Ma Thuot, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Buon Ma Thuot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Buon Ma Thuot is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.