Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ethiopia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,221 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$1,221
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 12.2% more expensive than Ethiopia without rent, and 30.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 23.6% more expensive than Ethiopia without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.5K
$3.96 ETB 637
102.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 148.3K
$42.04 ETB 6,755
10.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.1K
$6.50 ETB 1,044
45.08%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,277
$0.93 ETB 149
212.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,585
$0.56 ETB 90.4
212.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,218
$0.56 ETB 89.7
135.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 9,969
$0.82 ETB 132
281.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.7K
$2.04 ETB 328
172.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,495
$1.02 ETB 164
38.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,777
$0.96 ETB 155
154.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,191
$1.80 ETB 290
-9.44%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 8,990
$1.80 ETB 290
56.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 30.9K
$7.37 ETB 1,185
31.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 29.7K
$10.36 ETB 1,665
-10.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 42.9K
$10.24 ETB 1,646
31.45%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.8K
$4.43 ETB 711
-9.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,719
$0.73 ETB 117
102.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,768
$2.44 ETB 392
-13.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,178
$0.67 ETB 108
235.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,092
$0.55 ETB 88.3
247.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$1.36 ETB 218
19.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,658
$0.81 ETB 131
41.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,021
$0.58 ETB 93.2
117.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.2K
$7.96 ETB 1,279
-52.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 41.8K
$5.34 ETB 858
145.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,083
$0.79 ETB 127
102.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,188
$1.51 ETB 243
49.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,731
$0.38 ETB 60.6
207.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 239.0K
$16.79 ETB 2,697
346.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,056
$1.36 ETB 218
-6.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,531
$0.29 ETB 47.21
606.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.1K
$1.95 ETB 313
320.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,046
$0.94 ETB 151
35.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 85.3M
$52.9K ETB 8.5M
-49.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 109.6M
$55.3K ETB 8.9M
-37.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 516.9K
$140 ETB 22.4K
16.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 41.8K
$9.83 ETB 1,579
33.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 89.5K
$228 ETB 36.7K
-87.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 141.2K
$43.23 ETB 6,946
2.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.0K
$35.64 ETB 5,726
-54.18%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.4K
$5.11 ETB 821
19.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.4M
$118 ETB 19.0K
546.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.4M
$29.9K ETB 4.8M
-70.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 270.8K
$35.22 ETB 5,660
141.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 183.2K
$62.0 ETB 9,959
-7.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 419.8K
$78.3 ETB 12.6K
68.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 305.1K
$87.8 ETB 14.1K
9.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$647 ETB 103.9K
59.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$353 ETB 56.7K
71.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.7M
$1,771 ETB 284.6K
1.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$712 ETB 114.4K
39.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.5M
$1,804 ETB 289.8K
117.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.2M
$1,013 ETB 162.8K
61.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ethiopia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$199 ETB 32.0K
214.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
17
-35.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Ethiopia
$353 41.6% $251
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Ethiopia
$211 26.9% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Ethiopia
$378 85.8% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Ethiopia
$118 28.8% $48
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Ethiopia
$75 54.9% $91
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Ethiopia
$21 76.8% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Ethiopia
$53 5.4% $3
Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🕒 Local time
07:20 7:20 AM
15:20 3:20 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
128,691,692
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ethiopia 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ethiopia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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