Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,614 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
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
Learn more

Elmina Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Elmina

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Elmina $1,582

Medellin costs about 142% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Elmina is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$7.82 GHS 91.0

1.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$50.8 GHS 591

-9.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.26 GHS 119

-7.41%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.46 GHS 51.9

-30.27%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.53 GHS 17.85

19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.44 GHS 5.12

213.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.81 GHS 21.03

68.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.17 GHS 25.19

153.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$3.67 GHS 42.68

-60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.67 GHS 19.37

41.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$3.06 GHS 35.63

-45.10%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.68 GHS 31.21

6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.03 GHS 140

-15.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.08 GHS 82.3

34.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.62 GHS 112

45.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.61 GHS 41.93

12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.40 GHS 16.32

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.77 GHS 20.58

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.56 GHS 41.44

-35.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.69 GHS 31.29

-28.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.65 GHS 30.82

-38.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.72 GHS 8.34

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.60 GHS 7.02

108.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.51 GHS 29.19

58.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.06 GHS 82.1

89.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.21 GHS 14.10

40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.33 GHS 27.14

1.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.74 GHS 20.29

-24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.26 GHS 14.65

69.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.30 GHS 50.0

96.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.34 GHS 15.58

-2.99%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

253.70%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

266.53%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$73.7 GHS 857

133.50%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$19.07 GHS 222

-29.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$42.25 GHS 491

-32.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$12.66 GHS 147

-50.39%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$470 GHS 5,464

63.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

-51.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$14.18 GHS 165

509.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$18.59 GHS 216

207.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$36.74 GHS 427

271.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$52.0 GHS 605

88.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

26.75

-59.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 6.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 37% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 67.9% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 91.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 56.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $51.0 in Elmina. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $276 in Elmina – so Elmina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

34,403

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Elmina 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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