Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Marseille

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,045 in Marseille, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Marseille, France
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Marseille
🇫🇷 France
$2,045
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Marseille

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,045 in Marseille, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Marseille $2,045

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,211 in Marseille, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Marseille $3,211

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,377 in Marseille, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Marseille $4,377

Medellin is about 17% cheaper than Marseille, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Marseille sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Marseille by 51%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$17.01 €15.11
-50.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$73.0 €64.8
-36.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$13.56 €12.05
-30.16%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$3.49 €3.10
-10.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,727
$3.14 €2.79
-43.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,619
$1.95 €1.73
-27.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$6.88 €6.11
-54.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$6.57 €5.83
-13.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,969
$1.27 €1.13
20.47%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,429
$2.49 €2.21
-8.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,306
$3.06 €2.72
-36.60%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,942
$4.84 €4.30
-36.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$26.99 €23.97
-62.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$14.46 €12.85
-27.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$26.82 €23.82
-47.95%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$3.77 €3.35
7.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,956
$2.46 €2.19
-37.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,823
$4.62 €4.10
-54.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,437
$3.93 €3.49
-41.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,839
$3.07 €2.73
-31.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,542
$2.41 €2.14
-29.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,794
$1.95 €1.73
-40.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,123
$1.37 €1.21
15.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$13.91 €12.35
-71.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.5K
$9.14 €8.12
53.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,712
$3.21 €2.85
-45.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,793
$4.43 €3.94
-38.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,825
$2.06 €1.83
-42.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$45.50 €40.42
67.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,859
$2.64 €2.35
-31.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,904
$1.28 €1.13
66.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$39.57 €35.15
-79.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,135
$2.30 €2.04
-44.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$34.3K €30.5K
0.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$38.9K €34.5K
-12.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.3K
$189 €168
-6.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$17.74 €15.76
-21.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$36.34 €32.28
-15.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$35.07 €31.16
19.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$28.55 €25.36
-41.16%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$14.60 €12.97
-48.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$862 €766
-8.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$11.4K €10.1K
8.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 279.9K
$91.8 €81.5
-5.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$53.2 €47.24
11.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.6K
$118 €105
17.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.4K
$152 €135
-35.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$852 €756
57.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$745 €662
-10.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,707 €1,516
15.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,408 €1,251
-26.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$5,121 €4,549
-19.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$3,430 €3,047
-43.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Marseille
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$2,637 €2,342
-75.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.91
179.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Marseille: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Marseille
$745 11.7% $78
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Marseille
$456 48.4% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Marseille
$244 9.5% $21
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Marseille
$287 66% $114
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Marseille
$187 8.4% $15
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Marseille
$63 32.9% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Marseille
$64 13% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $852 in Marseille. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Marseille are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $73 in Marseille. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $456 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇫🇷 Marseille
🕒 Local time
12:11 12:11 PM
18:11 6:11 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
873,076
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Marseille 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Marseille

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 Marseille: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Marseille?
Marseille costs about 21% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 Marseille?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,067 in Marseille. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Marseille?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marseille, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Marseille?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $73 in Marseille. 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 Marseille?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,045 in Marseille. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Medellin or in Marseille?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $2,045 in Marseille, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Medellin or Marseille?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $2,045 in Marseille. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Medellin or to Marseille?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marseille makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?