Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,334 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Douala

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,334 in Douala, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Douala $1,334

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,160 in Douala, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Douala $2,160

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,985 in Douala, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Douala $2,985

Medellin costs about 23% more than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Douala is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

85.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$122 FCFA 71.1K

-61.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

37.09%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

41.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.64 FCFA 960

9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.76 FCFA 445

85.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.20 FCFA 704

165.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

120.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

-47.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.41 FCFA 238

480.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

-18.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

-54.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

25.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

126.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

-13.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

-23.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.38 FCFA 809

57.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

-38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

-26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.76 FCFA 443

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.67 FCFA 391

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

59.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.40 FCFA 821

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.66 FCFA 388

77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

353.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.58 FCFA 338

118.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.81 FCFA 476

153.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

2.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.41 FCFA 824

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

15.71%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

122.00%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$162 FCFA 94.9K

4.61%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

-46.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$178 FCFA 103.9K

-84.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

-21.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$505 FCFA 295.5K

57.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

169.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

5.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

-14.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$136 FCFA 79.6K

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$147 FCFA 86.0K

-33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$567 FCFA 331.9K

112.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$313 FCFA 183.0K

105.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

51.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$542 FCFA 316.9K

86.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

110.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$952 FCFA 556.8K

100.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$222 FCFA 129.6K

196.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

19.04

-42.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Douala

$313 23.4% 51.2% $329

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Douala

$277 20.8% 6.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Douala

$365 27.4% 72.7% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Douala

$102 7.7% 39.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Douala

$194 14.5% 14.8% $25

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Douala

$24 1.8% 74% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Douala

$59 4.4% 2.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $567 in Douala. 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 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $122 in Douala. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $277 in Douala – so Douala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

19:21 7:21 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Douala 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Douala

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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,001 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $122 in Douala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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