Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
Learn more

Cotonou Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cotonou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $897 in Cotonou.

Medellin $1,639
Cotonou $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,428 in Cotonou.

Medellin $2,413
Cotonou $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,958 in Cotonou.

Medellin $3,186
Cotonou $1,958

Living in Medellin is roughly 83% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cotonou is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

56.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

31.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.39 F CFA 5,512

1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.25 F CFA 3,085

-42.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.00 F CFA 588

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.89 F CFA 521

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$0.87 F CFA 509

265.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.59 F CFA 1,521

122.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$3.10 F CFA 1,819

-51.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.23 F CFA 723

93.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.88 F CFA 1,105

-5.85%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.74 F CFA 1,610

5.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.25 F CFA 5,435

10.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.43 F CFA 3,188

81.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$5.04 F CFA 2,959

177.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.99 F CFA 2,345

-0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.78 F CFA 1,043

-12.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.33 F CFA 779

63.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.71 F CFA 1,591

-19.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.27 F CFA 744

54.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.68 F CFA 987

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.43 F CFA 253

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.14 F CFA 670

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.37 F CFA 1,977

17.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.30 F CFA 2,523

218.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.17 F CFA 688

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.86 F CFA 1,092

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.30 F CFA 764

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.38 F CFA 808

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.32 F CFA 776

55.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.18 F CFA 694

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

47.48%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$145 F CFA 85.1K

17.12%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

-59.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$49.06 F CFA 28.8K

-42.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

-8.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$3.36 F CFA 1,973

411.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.58 F CFA 5,042

-19.46%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$131 F CFA 76.9K

508.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

64.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$25.39 F CFA 14.9K

233.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$33.44 F CFA 19.6K

303.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$67.9 F CFA 39.9K

44.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$176 F CFA 103.3K

586.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$163 F CFA 95.6K

293.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$600 F CFA 352.4K

237.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$412 F CFA 242.3K

145.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$251 F CFA 147.1K

162.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

173.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cotonou

$163 18.2% 74.6% $479

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cotonou

$222 24.8% 25.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cotonou

$227 25.4% 7.6% $16

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cotonou

$150 16.7% 11.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 66.2% $112

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 85.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cotonou

$65 7.2% 12.6% $7.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $176 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $36 in Cotonou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $222 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

780,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cotonou 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.6 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 $176 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $897 in Cotonou – Cotonou is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou 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 – Cotonou wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.