Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Marrakech

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $872 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Marrakech
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Marrakech Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Marrakech

🇲🇦 Morocco

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Marrakech

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $872 in Marrakech, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Marrakech $872

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,299 in Marrakech, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Marrakech $1,299

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $1,726 in Marrakech, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Marrakech $1,726

Medellin costs about 82% more than Marrakech, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Marrakech is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$3.44 MAD 33.53

132.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$30.44 MAD 296

52.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.88 MAD 57.3

60.37%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$2.14 MAD 20.85

35.98%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.85 MAD 17.96

-5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.59 MAD 5.79

123.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$6.56 MAD 63.9

-52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$5.55 MAD 54.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$0.80 MAD 7.79

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$0.78 MAD 7.61

212.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.50 MAD 14.56

8.67%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.93 MAD 18.82

46.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.51 MAD 73.1

29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$5.14 MAD 50.0

81.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$11.06 MAD 108

21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.59 MAD 15.52

151.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.32 MAD 12.84

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$0.92 MAD 8.99

130.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$0.76 MAD 7.37

196.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$0.66 MAD 6.39

189.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$0.77 MAD 7.51

110.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.22 MAD 2.14

422.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.59 MAD 5.72

113.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$4.00 MAD 38.93

-4.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$7.55 MAD 73.5

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.16 MAD 21.04

-25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$3.16 MAD 30.77

-28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.39 MAD 3.76

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$24.95 MAD 243

200.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$0.80 MAD 7.81

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.57 MAD 5.59

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$6.97 MAD 67.9

17.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.44 MAD 13.98

-11.81%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$33.1K MAD 322.4K

-19.14%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$29.1K MAD 283.0K

18.35%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$34.25 MAD 333

373.61%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$8.91 MAD 86.8

47.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$36.28 MAD 353

-22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$27.95 MAD 272

58.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$20.22 MAD 197

-19.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$6.44 MAD 62.7

-5.43%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$98.8 MAD 962

673.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$8,253 MAD 80.3K

7.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$30.84 MAD 300

175.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$44.10 MAD 429

30.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$79.5 MAD 774

65.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$80.0 MAD 779

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$459 MAD 4,473

123.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$299 MAD 2,915

101.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$705 MAD 6,866

155.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$437 MAD 4,253

127.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$1,846 MAD 18.0K

112.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$899 MAD 8,750

82.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$483 MAD 4,706

29.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.5

143.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Marrakech: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Marrakech

$299 34.9% 50.5% $305

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Marrakech

$178 20.8% 38.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Marrakech

$79 9.3% 60.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Marrakech

$106 12.3% 36.6% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Marrakech

$125 14.5% 25.1% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Marrakech

$30 3.5% 66.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Marrakech

$41 4.8% 27.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $459 in Marrakech. 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 30% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $30.00 in Marrakech. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $178 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇦 Marrakech

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,002,697

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Marrakech 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Marrakech

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 Marrakech: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,309 in Marrakech. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marrakech, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $764 per month in Medellin and $98.8 in Marrakech. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Marrakech, where all-in costs run around $872, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Marrakech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marrakech – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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