Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Duma

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $641 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
Learn more

Duma Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Duma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $641 in Duma.

Medellin $1,639
Duma $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,014 in Duma.

Medellin $2,413
Duma $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,387 in Duma.

Medellin $3,186
Duma $1,387

Living in Medellin is roughly 156% more expensive than in Duma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Duma is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.07 SYP 1,223

-19.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$41.95 SYP 5,098

12.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.10 SYP 863

33.80%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.62 SYP 440

-16.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.22 SYP 270

-18.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.87 SYP 106

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.86 SYP 226

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.10 SYP 498

40.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.05 SYP 127

43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.39 SYP 46.86

510.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.50 SYP 182

18.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.58 SYP 192

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.00 SYP 486

154.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.72 SYP 696

72.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.82 SYP 1,679

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.03 SYP 125

285.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.35 SYP 164

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.10 SYP 134

98.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.07 SYP 130

103.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.78 SYP 95.3

151.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.80 SYP 97.6

98.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.40 SYP 49.04

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.66 SYP 80.6

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.72 SYP 330

45.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.10 SYP 741

124.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.06 SYP 129

56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.94 SYP 358

-23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.02 SYP 124

24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.56 SYP 189

31.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.86 SYP 955

8.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$3.64 SYP 443

-62.91%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

124.22%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

78.92%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$138 SYP 16.8K

23.05%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.80 SYP 1,191

38.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$46.05 SYP 5,596

-39.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.58 SYP 678

23.84%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$67.0 SYP 8,144

1088.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,762 SYP 214.1K

417.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$28.82 SYP 3,502

193.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$40.14 SYP 4,878

44.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$59.0 SYP 7,175

128.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$57.4 SYP 6,970

70.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.25

-23.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Duma: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Duma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Duma

$169 26.3% 43.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Duma

$194 30.2% 8.3% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Duma

$175 27.3% 3.3% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Duma

$83 13% 50.6% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Duma

$8.8 * 1.4% 90.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Duma

$11 * 1.7% 80.6% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $42 in Duma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $169 per month, with Duma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇾 Duma

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

16:31 4:31 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,893

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Duma 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Duma

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 Duma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duma wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $961 in Duma 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% 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 $641 in Duma – Duma is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $641 in Duma versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Duma but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Duma 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.