Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Manakara

For one person, living is cheaper in Manakara: $397 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Manakara
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Manakara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Manakara

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Manakara

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $397 in Manakara, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Manakara $397

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $610 in Manakara, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Manakara $610

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $822 in Manakara, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Manakara $822

Medellin costs about 313% more than Manakara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Manakara is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

262.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$14.74 MGA 67.5K

219.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.58 MGA 16.4K

165.36%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.14 MGA 5,205

164.04%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.61 MGA 2,771

195.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.53 MGA 2,424

166.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.18 MGA 5,424

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.47 MGA 6,721

291.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.78 MGA 8,161

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.02 MGA 4,685

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.67 MGA 3,057

164.18%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.28 MGA 10.4K

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$6.56 MGA 30.0K

55.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.40 MGA 15.6K

190.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$3.60 MGA 16.5K

288.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$0.95 MGA 4,365

317.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.72 MGA 3,304

115.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.37 MGA 1,696

489.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.71 MGA 3,265

207.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.58 MGA 2,679

237.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.70 MGA 3,203

127.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.35 MGA 1,584

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.63 MGA 2,903

96.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.36 MGA 6,248

191.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$4.34 MGA 19.9K

215.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.06 MGA 4,858

56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.25 MGA 5,707

80.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.21 MGA 961

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$34.72 MGA 159.0K

122.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.12 MGA 5,152

13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$2.26 MGA 10.4K

-9.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$3.32 MGA 15.2K

157.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.12 MGA 5,111

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$15.2K MGA 69.6M

124.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$20.7K MGA 94.7M

67.75%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$42.29 MGA 193.7K

301.16%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$53.6 MGA 245.6K

-47.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$11.63 MGA 53.3K

275.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$22.17 MGA 101.5K

3493.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$16.20 MGA 74.2K

422.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$20.07 MGA 91.9K

188.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$44.60 MGA 204.3K

202.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$43.80 MGA 200.6K

123.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$115 MGA 527.9K

470.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manakara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Manakara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Manakara

$130 32.7% 56.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Manakara

$96 * 24.1% 54.6% $115

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Manakara

$56 14% 67.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Manakara

$56 14.1% 66.8% $113

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Manakara

$48 12.1% 48.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Manakara

$12 * 2.9% 79.8% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Medellin are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $15 in Manakara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $130 – making Manakara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇬 Manakara

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

44,237

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,580 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,111 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Manakara 13,720 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Manakara

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 Manakara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 313%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $596 in Manakara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $22 in Manakara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manakara, where all-in costs run around $397, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Manakara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $397 in Manakara to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Manakara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.