Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Hawassa $1,564

Medellin costs about 93% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.90 ETB 625

103.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$42.11 ETB 6,758

9.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.56 ETB 1,054

44.82%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$0.95 ETB 153

227.37%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.63 ETB 102

190.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.69 ETB 110

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$0.83 ETB 133

267.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.30 ETB 370

139.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.07 ETB 172

35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.17 ETB 188

101.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.01 ETB 163

66.34%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.58 ETB 253

81.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.40 ETB 1,188

37.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.09 ETB 1,458

54.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.35 ETB 859

-23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.68 ETB 109

120.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.13 ETB 341

1.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.66 ETB 106

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.50 ETB 80.5

286.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.06 ETB 169

54.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.69 ETB 110

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.57 ETB 91.3

119.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.55 ETB 891

140.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.66 ETB 106

157.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.28 ETB 206

85.16%

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

$1.31 ETB 210

0.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.27 ETB 42.86

692.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.03 ETB 326

317.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.92 ETB 147

41.30%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-48.75%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-37.18%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$202 ETB 32.5K

-14.88%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.21 ETB 1,158

85.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$213 ETB 34.2K

-86.53%

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

$3.84 ETB 616

63.54%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$136 ETB 21.9K

465.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-70.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$33.37 ETB 5,356

158.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

73.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

17.17%

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

$494 ETB 79.3K

239.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.5

-40.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 30.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 97.3% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 29.6% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 54.7% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 97.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 86.7% $50

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 $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

160,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Hawassa 12,550 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $834 in Hawassa – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,252 in Hawassa. 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 $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Hawassa to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Hawassa. 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.