Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Carthage
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Carthage Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Carthage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $693 in Carthage.

Medellin $1,639
Carthage $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,103 in Carthage.

Medellin $2,413
Carthage $1,103

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,513 in Carthage.

Medellin $3,186
Carthage $1,513

Living in Medellin is roughly 137% more expensive than in Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Carthage is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.56 TND 13.69

77.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$22.10 TND 66.4

112.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.84 TND 17.54

62.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.12 TND 3.36

168.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.74 TND 2.21

143.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.29 TND 0.88

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.71 TND 5.15

85.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.96 TND 5.88

193.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.48 TND 1.45

214.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.26 TND 0.78

815.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.71 TND 5.13

3.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.73 TND 5.20

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.21 TND 30.66

-0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.92 TND 17.79

66.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.61 TND 43.90

-4.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.36 TND 4.07

191.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$3.61 TND 10.84

-57.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.16 TND 3.48

87.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.77 TND 2.32

183.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.83 TND 2.50

136.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.69 TND 2.07

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.53 TND 1.58

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.31 TND 0.93

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.75 TND 11.28

5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.67 TND 20.04

105.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.22 TND 3.68

36.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.30 TND 3.90

73.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.41 TND 1.22

185.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$13.59 TND 40.83

469.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.33 TND 0.99

284.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.35 TND 1.06

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.79 TND 5.37

377.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.84 TND 2.52

60.71%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$39.0K TND 117.3K

-12.76%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$35.8K TND 107.5K

-3.09%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$45.26 TND 136

274.83%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.90 TND 26.74

52.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$20.82 TND 62.6

34.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$31.89 TND 95.8

37.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$13.15 TND 39.51

30.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.95 TND 14.87

39.60%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$107 TND 321

646.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,149 TND 9,462

189.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$43.81 TND 132

93.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$60.7 TND 182

-4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$113 TND 338

19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$67.8 TND 204

44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$204 TND 613

491.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$153 TND 460

319.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$206 TND 620

882.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$276 TND 830

266.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$972 TND 2,922

328.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$616 TND 1,851

210.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$264 TND 793

149.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.65

2.72%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Carthage

$153 22.1% 76.1% $489

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Carthage

$194 28% 34.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Carthage

$75 10.8% 64.5% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Carthage

$84 12.1% 50.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Carthage

$128 18.5% 24.1% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Carthage

$17 2.5% 81.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Carthage

$42 6% 27.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $204 in Carthage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $22 in Carthage for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $194 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇳 Carthage

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

23:38 11:38 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,276

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Carthage 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Carthage

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 Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $693 in Carthage, so Carthage is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $204 in Carthage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Carthage – a meal for two runs $22 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $693 in Carthage versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage 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.

Expats usually find Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.