Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hassi Messaoud

For one person, living is cheaper in Hassi Messaoud: $519 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Hassi Messaoud, Algeria
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Hassi Messaoud
🇩🇿 Algeria
$519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hassi Messaoud

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $519 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Hassi Messaoud $519

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $842 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Hassi Messaoud $842

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,165 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Hassi Messaoud $1,165

Medellin costs about 226% more than Hassi Messaoud, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Hassi Messaoud is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$3.11 DZD 421
168.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.2K
$16.88 DZD 2,284
175.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$3.88 DZD 525
144.07%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$0.68 DZD 91.9
360.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,702
$0.62 DZD 84.0
185.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,599
$0.26 DZD 35.44
446.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$1.58 DZD 214
99.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$2.18 DZD 295
161.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,948
$0.82 DZD 112
86.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$0.12 DZD 16.33
1808.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,279
$1.16 DZD 157
67.24%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,900
$1.24 DZD 167
147.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$7.86 DZD 1,063
27.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$3.84 DZD 520
172.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$14.09 DZD 1,907
-0.92%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.12 DZD 287
91.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,934
$2.69 DZD 364
-43.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,794
$1.11 DZD 150
89.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,405
$0.90 DZD 121
154.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,810
$0.61 DZD 82.9
245.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,518
$0.46 DZD 62.0
271.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,778
$0.77 DZD 105
51.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,101
$0.27 DZD 36.73
485.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$2.59 DZD 350
50.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$6.55 DZD 886
114.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,688
$1.24 DZD 167
41.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,756
$1.88 DZD 254
44.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,809
$0.24 DZD 32.50
391.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.3K
$6.77 DZD 917
1026.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,833
$0.57 DZD 77.2
217.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,874
$0.43 DZD 58.7
395.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$5.34 DZD 723
52.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,117
$0.33 DZD 44.20
287.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$31.6K DZD 4.3M
8.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.2M
$34.8K DZD 4.7M
-1.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.8K
$35.69 DZD 4,830
397.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$9.25 DZD 1,251
50.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.2K
$12.10 DZD 1,637
154.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$22.26 DZD 3,014
88.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$4.50 DZD 609
66.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$334 DZD 45.2K
136.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$4,796 DZD 649.1K
156.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.7K
$31.75 DZD 4,298
171.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.3K
$34.03 DZD 4,606
74.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.6K
$69.1 DZD 9,352
100.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.0K
$79.8 DZD 10.8K
23.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$144 DZD 19.5K
831.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$91.4 DZD 12.4K
630.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$272 DZD 36.8K
626.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$192 DZD 26.0K
437.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$961 DZD 130.1K
326.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,041 DZD 140.9K
86.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Hassi Messaoud
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.3
106.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hassi Messaoud: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Hassi Messaoud
$91 86.3% $576
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Hassi Messaoud
$172 44.1% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Hassi Messaoud
$57 74.4% $165
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Hassi Messaoud
$60 65% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Hassi Messaoud
$97 43.9% $76
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Hassi Messaoud
$10 88.8% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Hassi Messaoud
$31 45.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $144 in Hassi Messaoud. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $17 in Hassi Messaoud. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $172 – making Hassi Messaoud the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇩🇿 Hassi Messaoud
🕒 Local time
09:42 9:42 AM
15:42 3:42 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
45,147
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Hassi Messaoud 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Hassi Messaoud

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 Hassi Messaoud: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Hassi Messaoud compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $519 in Hassi Messaoud – Hassi Messaoud comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Hassi Messaoud?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $779 in Hassi Messaoud. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Hassi Messaoud?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hassi Messaoud, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $144 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How do commuting costs compare in Medellin and in Hassi Messaoud?
Public transport costs about 91% less in Hassi Messaoud. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and Hassi Messaoud?
Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $334 in Hassi Messaoud. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hassi Messaoud, where all-in costs run around $519, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Hassi Messaoud it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Medellin or Hassi Messaoud?
Families tend to lean toward Hassi Messaoud – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Where should expats move: Medellin or Hassi Messaoud?
For expats, Hassi Messaoud is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 69% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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