Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Laghouat

For one person, living is cheaper in Laghouat: $500 a month against $1,614 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Laghouat
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Laghouat Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Laghouat

🇩🇿 Algeria

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Laghouat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $500 in Laghouat.

Medellin $1,589
Laghouat $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $820 in Laghouat.

Medellin $2,364
Laghouat $820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $1,140 in Laghouat.

Medellin $3,139
Laghouat $1,140

Living in Medellin is roughly 218% more expensive than in Laghouat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Laghouat is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$3.65 DZD 490

117.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.4K

$20.91 DZD 2,803

120.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.4K

$4.41 DZD 591

115.42%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,940

$1.00 DZD 134

211.00%

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

$1.83 COP 5,843

$0.62 DZD 82.9

195.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,393

$0.15 DZD 19.57

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,744

$1.56 DZD 209

95.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.6K

$2.23 DZD 300

146.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,634

$1.00 DZD 134

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,552

$0.14 DZD 18.58

1585.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,368

$2.55 DZD 341

-34.12%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,145

$1.86 DZD 249

53.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$4.32 DZD 579

135.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$5.49 DZD 736

73.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$15.18 DZD 2,034

-7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.82 DZD 512

6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,778

$3.60 DZD 482

-58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,943

$2.01 DZD 270

7.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,365

$1.02 DZD 136

126.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,159

$0.57 DZD 76.7

238.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,235

$0.56 DZD 74.8

192.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,597

$0.54 DZD 72.0

109.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,984

$0.31 DZD 41.87

303.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.31 DZD 310

72.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$6.58 DZD 882

102.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,424

$1.23 DZD 164

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,581

$1.85 DZD 248

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,856

$0.12 DZD 15.89

908.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.3K

$6.67 DZD 894

1046.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,211

$0.74 DZD 99.5

78.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,825

$0.33 DZD 44.31

548.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$6.11 DZD 819

38.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,145

$0.34 DZD 45.36

282.35%

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

$28.0K COP 89.4M

$29.2K DZD 3.9M

-4.03%

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

$35.4K COP 113.1M

$44.4K DZD 6.0M

-20.24%

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

$172 COP 549.7K

$36.42 DZD 4,881

372.52%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$6.12 DZD 820

118.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.8K

$15.67 DZD 2,100

83.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.5K

$14.08 DZD 1,887

221.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$4.50 DZD 604

39.56%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$57.9 DZD 7,760

1230.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$4,840 DZD 648.7K

86.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 276.0K

$27.22 DZD 3,648

217.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.5K

$33.73 DZD 4,521

69.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 436.2K

$55.5 DZD 7,434

146.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.8K

$67.9 DZD 9,102

44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$95.9 DZD 12.9K

1000.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$55.6 DZD 7,451

1007.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$161 DZD 21.6K

1073.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$105 DZD 14.1K

872.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

$426 DZD 57.1K

851.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$298 DZD 39.9K

463.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$346 DZD 46.4K

88.36%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for Laghouat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Laghouat

$56 11.1% 91% $560

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Laghouat

$201 40.1% 31.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Laghouat

$58 11.7% 72.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Laghouat

$83 16.6% 51.2% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Laghouat

$70 14% 58.6% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Laghouat

$9.5 1.9% 89.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Laghouat

$23 4.6% 60.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $95.9 in Laghouat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 81% 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 $21.00 in Laghouat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $201 per month, with Laghouat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇿 Laghouat

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

144,747

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,194 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,566 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Laghouat 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Laghouat

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 Laghouat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laghouat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 218% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $95.9 in Laghouat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $500 in Laghouat – a 218% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Laghouat runs roughly 1025% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $500 in Laghouat versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Laghouat but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Laghouat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Laghouat is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Laghouat 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 Laghouat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.