Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $611 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Cairo $611

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Cairo $970

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Cairo $1,329

Medellin costs about 168% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Cairo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.51 E£252

79.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$27.00 E£1,511

74.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.34 E£299

77.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.72 E£96.0

75.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.34 E£19.06

429.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.14 E£8.08

907.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.39 E£77.8

128.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.15 E£120

167.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.87 E£48.56

73.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.76 E£42.45

213.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.63 E£35.10

180.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.09 E£60.9

165.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$3.74 E£209

172.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.61 E£258

114.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.42 E£471

66.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.69 E£94.4

134.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.68 E£38.19

127.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.56 E£31.12

289.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.47 E£26.17

363.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.38 E£21.53

415.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.39 E£21.81

307.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.33 E£18.73

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.22 E£12.32

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.85 E£104

114.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$7.24 E£405

88.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.42 E£79.3

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.98 E£111

14.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.31 E£17.31

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$7.17 E£401

979.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.35 E£19.46

262.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.19 E£10.87

978.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.46 E£81.5

485.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.40 E£22.36

237.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$32.3K E£1.8M

5.42%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$24.9K E£1.4M

39.50%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$26.70 E£1,494

535.39%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.51 E£420

80.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$14.02 E£785

100.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$27.01 E£1,511

61.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$7.15 E£400

140.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.41 E£247

56.69%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$117 E£6,524

583.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,269 E£182.9K

178.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$37.71 E£2,110

124.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$47.61 E£2,664

21.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$109 E£6,108

23.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$55.6 E£3,113

75.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$203 E£11.4K

493.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$188 E£10.5K

241.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$524 E£29.3K

286.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$318 E£17.8K

218.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$793 E£44.4K

425.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$484 E£27.1K

294.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$185 E£10.3K

255.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.21

-32.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cairo

$188 30.7% 70.7% $454

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cairo

$131 21.5% 55.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cairo

$48 7.9% 77.2% $163

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cairo

$86 14.1% 49.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cairo

$113 18.4% 33.4% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cairo

$9.7 1.6% 89.6% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cairo

$36 5.9% 37.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $203 in Cairo. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $27 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $131 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Cairo 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.