Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $524 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Homs
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Homs Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Homs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $524 in Homs.

Medellin $1,639
Homs $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $791 in Homs.

Medellin $2,413
Homs $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,058 in Homs.

Medellin $3,186
Homs $1,058

Living in Medellin is roughly 213% more expensive than in Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Homs is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.09 SYP 375

161.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$11.94 SYP 1,450

294.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.80 SYP 827

39.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$0.56 SYP 68.6

437.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.18 SYP 265

-17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.52 SYP 63.4

171.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.95 SYP 237

63.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.05 SYP 492

41.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.78 SYP 94.9

93.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.41 SYP 50.2

480.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.58 SYP 192

12.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.56 SYP 190

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$3.95 SYP 480

157.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.82 SYP 708

69.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.19 SYP 1,481

14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$0.56 SYP 68.2

608.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.43 SYP 174

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.62 SYP 75.3

251.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.34 SYP 40.71

541.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.54 SYP 65.9

262.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.82 SYP 99.3

93.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.29 SYP 35.70

296.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.66 SYP 79.9

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.49 SYP 181

165.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$3.80 SYP 461

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.71 SYP 86.5

133.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.96 SYP 360

-23.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.20 SYP 24.77

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$14.82 SYP 1,801

422.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.01 SYP 123

25.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.47 SYP 179

39.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$2.05 SYP 250

317.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.23 SYP 150

9.76%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$12.9K SYP 1.6M

164.77%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

81.29%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$91.3 SYP 11.1K

85.80%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$9.40 SYP 1,142

44.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$46.45 SYP 5,643

-39.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$10.20 SYP 1,239

328.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.36 SYP 651

28.92%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$54.5 SYP 6,627

1360.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$897 SYP 109.0K

915.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$5.02 SYP 610

1587.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.65 SYP 2,388

194.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$60.9 SYP 7,393

121.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$30.64 SYP 3,723

219.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$127 SYP 15.4K

850.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$52.0 SYP 6,318

1133.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$345 SYP 41.9K

488.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$137 SYP 16.7K

637.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$73.3 SYP 8,904

796.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.25

-23.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Homs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Homs

$52 9.9% 91.9% $590

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Homs

$147 28.1% 50.5% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Homs

$147 28.1% 30.3% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Homs

$81 15.4% 52.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Homs

$52 10% 69.1% $117

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Homs

$24 4.6% 74.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Homs

$21 4% 63.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $127 in Homs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $12 in Homs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $147 per month, with Homs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇾 Homs

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

21:45 9:45 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

652,609

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 135 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Homs 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Homs

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 Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homs is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 213% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $127 in Homs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $55 in Homs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $524 in Homs versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Homs but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Homs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Homs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.