Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cam Ranh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $740 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
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Cam Ranh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cam Ranh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $740 in Cam Ranh.

Medellin $1,639
Cam Ranh $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,196 in Cam Ranh.

Medellin $2,413
Cam Ranh $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,653 in Cam Ranh.

Medellin $3,186
Cam Ranh $1,653

Living in Medellin is roughly 122% more expensive than in Cam Ranh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.62 ₫67.8K

208.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$23.30 ₫602.3K

101.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.49 ₫116.0K

111.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.66 ₫42.9K

81.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.37 ₫9,448

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.21 ₫5,404

571.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$0.64 ₫16.7K

396.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.22 ₫31.5K

371.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.49 ₫38.4K

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.45 ₫11.6K

428.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.04 ₫26.8K

70.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.39 ₫35.9K

107.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$12.00 ₫310.1K

-15.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.03 ₫78.2K

225.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.28 ₫291.5K

24.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.92 ₫49.6K

106.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.79 ₫20.4K

96.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.08 ₫27.8K

101.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.23 ₫31.8K

77.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.76 ₫19.7K

157.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.69 ₫17.8K

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.79 ₫20.5K

45.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.38 ₫9,848

226.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.50 ₫38.7K

164.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.56 ₫298.8K

18.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.61 ₫15.9K

172.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.86 ₫48.1K

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.35 ₫8,951

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$6.42 ₫165.9K

1105.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.56 ₫14.5K

126.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.60 ₫15.4K

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$2.58 ₫66.7K

231.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.87 ₫22.5K

55.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$31.3K ₫810.1M

8.71%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$28.0K ₫722.8M

24.00%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$77.6 ₫2.0M

118.62%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$6.65 ₫171.9K

103.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$9.61 ₫248.4K

192.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$23.51 ₫607.7K

85.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$7.55 ₫195.3K

127.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$1.98 ₫51.2K

248.99%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$215 ₫5.6M

269.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$3,885 ₫100.4M

134.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$40.65 ₫1.1M

108.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$26.17 ₫676.6K

121.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$49.97 ₫1.3M

170.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$79.3 ₫2.1M

23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$412 ₫10.6M

193.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$277 ₫7.2M

131.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$807 ₫20.9M

151.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$617 ₫15.9M

64.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,268 ₫58.6M

83.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,226 ₫31.7M

55.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.28

32.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cam Ranh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cam Ranh

$277 37.4% 56.9% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cam Ranh

$180 24.3% 39.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cam Ranh

$94 12.7% 55.6% $117

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cam Ranh

$62 8.4% 63.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cam Ranh

$88 11.9% 47.8% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cam Ranh

$11 1.5% 87.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cam Ranh

$27 3.7% 52.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $412 in Cam Ranh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Cam Ranh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $180 per month, with Cam Ranh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

17:23 5:23 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

220,630

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,849 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cam Ranh 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cam Ranh

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 Cam Ranh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,110 in Cam Ranh 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $412 in Cam Ranh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $740 in Cam Ranh – Cam Ranh is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 92% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Cam Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.