Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ismailia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $330 in Ismailia.

Medellin $1,625
Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $561 in Ismailia.

Medellin $2,412
Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $792 in Ismailia.

Medellin $3,199
Ismailia $792

Living in Medellin is roughly 393% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ismailia is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.30 E£176

151.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$14.58 E£778

221.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$3.76 E£201

145.74%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.04 E£55.5

193.27%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.30 E£15.91

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.13 E£6.85

961.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.32 E£70.6

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.80 E£96.0

208.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.79 E£42.30

89.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.36 E£19.07

558.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.60 E£32.12

183.33%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.15 E£61.5

157.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$3.49 E£186

192.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.98 E£213

144.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.95 E£371

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.45 E£77.3

184.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.54 E£29.05

183.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.41 E£22.01

441.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.31 E£16.79

632.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.26 E£13.89

665.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.32 E£17.12

421.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.23 E£12.31

413.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.20 E£10.67

520.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.86 E£99.5

108.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.48 E£293

151.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.04 E£55.4

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.89 E£101

26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.23 E£12.26

439.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$3.77 E£201

1974.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.39 E£20.60

228.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.48 E£25.72

347.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.13 E£60.2

640.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.42 E£22.18

221.43%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.6K E£1.5M

25.76%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$14.6K E£780.2K

137.40%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$13.94 E£744

1095.48%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.66 E£355

104.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$7.33 E£391

297.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$9.65 E£515

367.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$18.42 E£984

-6.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$1.82 E£97.4

282.97%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$65.6 E£3,502

1104.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$1,171 E£62.5K

671.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$12.92 E£690

579.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$9.19 E£491

532.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$127 E£6,764

9.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$27.53 E£1,470

259.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$78.3 E£4,181

1213.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$31.44 E£1,679

1870.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$120 E£6,414

1465.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$75.2 E£4,017

1239.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$458 E£24.5K

769.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$131 E£6,984

1201.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$101 E£5,387

557.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.33

-48.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 94.9% $588

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 63.7% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 86.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 54.1% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 63.7% $109

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 92.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Ismailia

$13 4% 77.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 558% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

352,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ismailia 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 393% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 558% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 176% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Ismailia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 393% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.