Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Luanda

For one person, living is cheaper in Luanda: $999 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Luanda
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Luanda Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Luanda

🇦🇴 Angola

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Luanda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $999 in Luanda.

Medellin $1,639
Luanda $999

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,888 in Luanda.

Medellin $2,413
Luanda $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,776 in Luanda.

Medellin $3,186
Luanda $2,776

Living in Medellin is roughly 64% more expensive than in Luanda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Luanda is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.38 AOA 4,914

50.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$37.05 AOA 33.8K

26.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.62 AOA 6,044

43.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.67 AOA 2,438

12.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.34 AOA 1,223

34.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.21 AOA 1,105

16.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.66 AOA 1,518

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.65 AOA 1,507

248.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.97 AOA 1,803

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.97 AOA 890

145.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.60 AOA 1,462

10.62%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.81 AOA 1,653

59.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.35 AOA 8,534

8.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.45 AOA 3,145

186.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.55 AOA 6,893

85.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.31 AOA 2,113

71.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.00 AOA 916

55.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.75 AOA 2,508

-20.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.78 AOA 1,622

22.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.50 AOA 1,373

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.58 AOA 1,439

0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.69 AOA 1,540

-31.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.36 AOA 331

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.68 AOA 1,532

135.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.96 AOA 5,440

129.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.46 AOA 416

260.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$0.93 AOA 853

143.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.21 AOA 191

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$31.63 AOA 28.9K

144.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.07 AOA 977

18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.91 AOA 832

125.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.56 AOA 5,072

53.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.32 AOA 290

321.88%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$14.3K AOA 13.0M

138.71%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.5K AOA 20.6M

53.84%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$101 AOA 92.0K

68.27%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.67 AOA 16.1K

-23.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$78.2 AOA 71.3K

-64.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$46.07 AOA 42.0K

-5.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$15.19 AOA 13.9K

13.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.57 AOA 3,257

93.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$778 AOA 710.1K

2.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.3K AOA 12.2M

-31.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$107 AOA 97.7K

-20.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$63.7 AOA 58.1K

-9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$97.0 AOA 88.5K

39.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$203 AOA 185.3K

-51.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$386 AOA 352.2K

213.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$199 AOA 181.9K

221.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,095 AOA 1.9M

-3.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,047 AOA 955.7K

-3.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$11.9K AOA 10.9M

-64.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$885 AOA 807.4K

115.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,425 AOA 1.3M

-53.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-47.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Luanda: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Luanda

$199 19.9% 68.9% $442

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Luanda

$183 18.4% 38.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Luanda

$197 19.7% 6.9% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Luanda

$117 11.7% 31.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Luanda

$212 21.2% 25.3% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Luanda

$38 3.8% 59.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Luanda

$53 5.3% 7.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $386 in Luanda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luanda pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $37 in Luanda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $183 per month, with Luanda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇴 Luanda

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

05:45 5:45 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,600,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Angolan Kwanza AOA Kz

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 AOA = 10.96 USD

10,000 AOA = 9.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AOA, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Angolan Kwanza exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 913 AOA (1,000 AOA = 1.1 USD). 1 EUR = 1,019 AOA (10,000 AOA = 9.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Luanda 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Luanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $999 in Luanda, so Luanda is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $386 in Luanda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Luanda runs roughly 59% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $778 in Luanda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $999 in Luanda versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Luanda but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Luanda 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 Luanda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.