Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,503 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,503 in Male.

Medellin $1,639
Male $1,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,416 in Male.

Medellin $2,413
Male $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,329 in Male.

Medellin $3,186
Male $3,329

Living in Medellin is roughly 9% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Male 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.82 MVR 89.8

39.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$39.22 MVR 605

19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.64 MVR 149

-1.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.81 MVR 74.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 MVR 74.3

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.50 MVR 53.9

-14.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.60 MVR 24.74

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.31 MVR 4.85

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.07 MVR 31.97

-27.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.69 MVR 26.03

40.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.20 MVR 18.58

47.50%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.87 MVR 28.91

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.46 MVR 161

-2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.20 MVR 95.6

59.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.20 MVR 142

52.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.99 MVR 61.5

-0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.14 MVR 48.37

-50.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.17 MVR 64.3

-47.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.71 MVR 41.77

-19.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.09 MVR 32.19

-6.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.94 MVR 29.91

-18.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.16 MVR 33.27

-46.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.63 MVR 9.69

96.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.41 MVR 191

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MVR 30.86

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$14.69 MVR 227

-73.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.63 MVR 9.71

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$29.62 MVR 457

161.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.93 MVR 29.70

-34.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.96 MVR 30.19

4.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.14 MVR 156

-15.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.98 MVR 15.05

37.76%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$32.8K MVR 505.8K

3.85%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.9K MVR 461.0K

15.97%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$118 MVR 1,812

44.38%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.67 MVR 457

-54.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$73.0 MVR 1,126

-61.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$69.9 MVR 1,078

-37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$33.50 MVR 517

-48.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.69 MVR 149

-28.69%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$188 MVR 2,896

324.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,954 MVR 45.6K

208.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$39.54 MVR 610

114.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$50.1 MVR 773

15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$85.9 MVR 1,325

57.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$52.9 MVR 816

85.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$939 MVR 14.5K

28.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$686 MVR 10.6K

-6.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,019 MVR 31.1K

0.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,530 MVR 23.6K

-33.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,275 MVR 35.1K

83.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,398 MVR 21.6K

36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$833 MVR 12.8K

-21.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-21.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Male: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Male

$686 45.7% 7% $45

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Male

$235 15.7% 20.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Male

$220 14.7% 4.2% $8.9

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Male

$125 8.3% 26.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Male

$103 6.8% 39.2% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Male

$44 2.9% 53.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Male

$89 5.9% 55.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $939 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 27% 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 $39 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $235 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Male 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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 $939 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,503 in Male – Male is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Male runs roughly 62% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Male is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.