Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and El Faiyum

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $381 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in El Faiyum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $381 in El Faiyum.

Medellin $1,692
El Faiyum $381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $597 in El Faiyum.

Medellin $2,471
El Faiyum $597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $813 in El Faiyum.

Medellin $3,249
El Faiyum $813

Living in Medellin is roughly 344% more expensive than in El Faiyum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, El Faiyum is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.20 E£122

279.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$12.51 E£692

271.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.17 E£175

198.74%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.20 E£66.3

160.83%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.28 E£15.60

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.08 E£4.65

1675.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$0.91 E£50.4

246.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.22 E£123

156.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.67 E£37.10

128.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.75 E£41.55

205.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$0.54 E£29.97

259.26%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.08 E£59.5

184.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$2.95 E£163

238.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.46 E£191

202.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$5.67 E£314

146.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$0.74 E£41.04

447.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.44 E£24.37

247.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.30 E£16.84

600.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.31 E£17.23

638.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$0.24 E£13.19

779.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.28 E£15.46

510.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.25 E£13.89

368.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.21 E£11.37

652.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$1.42 E£78.5

175.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$2.20 E£122

538.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.15 E£63.4

53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.49 E£82.2

81.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.05 E£2.77

2260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$5.53 E£306

1279.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.38 E£20.74

376.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.17 E£9.20

1152.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$0.94 E£51.8

764.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.38 E£21.17

236.84%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$26.6K E£1.5M

29.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$23.9K E£1.3M

42.94%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$14.38 E£795

1135.95%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.89 E£270

184.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$8.77 E£485

250.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$5.29 E£293

692.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.20 E£122

239.55%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$22.22 E£1,228

3455.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,072 E£59.3K

1046.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$31.61 E£1,748

173.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$40.05 E£2,214

47.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$113 E£6,229

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$35.61 E£1,969

177.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$181 E£9,982

642.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$94.5 E£5,225

605.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$244 E£13.5K

710.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$152 E£8,383

581.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$535 E£29.6K

666.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$286 E£15.8K

578.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$71.5 E£3,951

804.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-50.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for El Faiyum: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

El Faiyum

$95 24.8% 85.8% $573

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

El Faiyum

$91 23.9% 70.4% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

El Faiyum

$28 7.4% 87.4% $194

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

El Faiyum

$52 13.6% 69.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

El Faiyum

$99 26% 42.5% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

El Faiyum

$6.9 1.8% 92.6% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

El Faiyum

$9.7 2.5% 83% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $181 in El Faiyum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $13 in El Faiyum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $91 per month, with El Faiyum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

17:46 5:46 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

306,393

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 55.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.9 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin El Faiyum 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
El Faiyum

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 El Faiyum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Faiyum is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 9 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $181 in El Faiyum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in El Faiyum runs roughly 93% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $22 in El Faiyum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $381 in El Faiyum versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Faiyum but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes El Faiyum 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 El Faiyum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.