Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hargeysa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hargeysa: $451 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Hargeysa
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Hargeysa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hargeysa

🇸🇴 Somalia

$451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hargeysa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $451 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Hargeysa $451

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $738 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Hargeysa $738

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,025 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Hargeysa $1,025

Medellin costs about 264% more than Hargeysa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Hargeysa is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.96 SOS 2,817

63.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$17.81 SOS 10.1K

164.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.47 SOS 3,108

73.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.52 SOS 866

98.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.91 SOS 518

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.14 SOS 646

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.30 SOS 741

16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.10 SOS 626

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.09 SOS 619

62.39%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.46 SOS 1,395

17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.45 SOS 3,666

53.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$3.93 SOS 2,235

255.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.04 SOS 1,158

94.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.49 SOS 844

4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.02 SOS 1,147

7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.29 SOS 731

68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.28 SOS 725

53.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.52 SOS 861

4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.02 SOS 577

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.62 SOS 352

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.02 SOS 579

288.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.29 SOS 167

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$12.15 SOS 6,900

536.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.78 SOS 443

62.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.68 SOS 384

201.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$3.91 SOS 2,223

118.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.06 SOS 601

27.36%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$10.2K SOS 5.8M

235.55%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$12.1K SOS 6.9M

185.99%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$45.05 SOS 25.6K

276.58%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.56 SOS 4,292

79.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$19.91 SOS 11.3K

40.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$36.84 SOS 20.9K

18.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$2.03 SOS 1,150

746.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$25.45 SOS 14.5K

3030.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$268 SOS 151.9K

3306.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$12.57 SOS 7,141

573.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.70 SOS 11.2K

194.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$17.76 SOS 10.1K

659.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$30.47 SOS 17.3K

221.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$109 SOS 61.7K

1011.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$70.6 SOS 40.1K

808.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$295 SOS 167.8K

586.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$170 SOS 96.4K

495.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,918 SOS 2.8M

-15.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$299 SOS 170.0K

119.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-45.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hargeysa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hargeysa

$71 15.7% 89% $571

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hargeysa

$134 * 29.8% 54.8% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hargeysa

$73 16.1% 65.7% $139

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hargeysa

$83 * 18.3% 51.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hargeysa

$36 8% 78.6% $133

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hargeysa

$17 3.9% 81.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hargeysa

$37 * 8.2% 36% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $109 in Hargeysa. 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 2.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $18 in Hargeysa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $134 – making Hargeysa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇴 Hargeysa

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,960,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 632 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hargeysa 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hargeysa

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 Hargeysa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 264% more than Hargeysa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $676 in Hargeysa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hargeysa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $451 in Hargeysa. That makes Hargeysa about 73% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Hargeysa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Hargeysa, where all-in costs run around $451, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Hargeysa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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