Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Madaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $762 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Madaba, Jordan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Madaba
🇯🇴 Jordan
$762
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Madaba

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $762 in Madaba, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Madaba $762

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,347 in Madaba, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Madaba $1,347

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,932 in Madaba, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Madaba $1,932

Medellin costs about 115% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Madaba is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$5.52 JOD 3.91
46.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$50.1 JOD 35.46
-6.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$6.43 JOD 4.55
47.74%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.43 JOD 2.43
-12.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$0.60 JOD 0.42
200.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.53 JOD 0.38
166.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$4.29 JOD 3.03
-25.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$6.90 JOD 4.88
-16.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.42 JOD 1.01
6.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$0.70 JOD 0.50
240.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.60 JOD 1.14
10.62%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$1.68 JOD 1.19
72.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$4.19 JOD 2.96
143.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$5.78 JOD 4.09
70.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$12.43 JOD 8.80
12.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$2.51 JOD 1.78
58.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.38 JOD 0.98
12.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.72 JOD 1.22
26.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$0.73 JOD 0.51
198.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.68 JOD 0.48
188.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.72 JOD 0.51
120.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$0.37 JOD 0.26
210.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.54 JOD 0.38
129.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.06 JOD 1.46
92.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$21.41 JOD 15.15
-36.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$4.94 JOD 3.50
-66.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$5.06 JOD 3.58
-55.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$0.90 JOD 0.63
30.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$70.0 JOD 49.55
10.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$0.64 JOD 0.45
98.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$1.37 JOD 0.97
49.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$6.91 JOD 4.89
23.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.36 JOD 0.96
-0.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$33.0K JOD 23.3K
3.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$34.0K JOD 24.1K
1.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$70.0 JOD 49.53
142.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$14.14 JOD 10.01
-4.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$21.39 JOD 15.13
31.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$28.03 JOD 19.83
55.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$71.4 JOD 50.5
-75.92%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$11.31 JOD 8.01
-38.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$41.77 JOD 29.56
1807.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$9,533 JOD 6,747
-4.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$64.1 JOD 45.33
32.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$55.7 JOD 39.43
4.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$71.5 JOD 50.6
88.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$42.65 JOD 30.18
129.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$208 JOD 147
480.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$41.82 JOD 29.60
1434.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$430 JOD 305
371.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$209 JOD 148
384.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Madaba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$487 JOD 345
34.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.94
57.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madaba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Madaba
$42 93.5% $600
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Madaba
$234 21.4% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Madaba
$106 50.1% $106
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Madaba
$144 14.8% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Madaba
$105 37.7% $64
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Madaba
$81 13.3% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Madaba
$51 12% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $208 in Madaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $50 in Madaba. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $234 in Madaba – so Madaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇴 Madaba
🕒 Local time
17:06 5:06 PM
01:06 1:06 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
65,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Madaba 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Madaba

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 Madaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Madaba?
Medellin costs about 115% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Madaba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,143 in Madaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Madaba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Madaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Madaba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $50 in Madaba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Madaba?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $762 in Madaba. That makes Madaba about 54% cheaper.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Madaba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Medellin or to Madaba?
If budget matters most, go with Madaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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