Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $999 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Matola

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $999 in Matola, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Matola $999

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,523 in Matola, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Matola $1,523

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,048 in Matola, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Matola $2,048

Medellin costs about 64% more than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Matola is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.80 MZN 493

3.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$62.6 MZN 3,960

-24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.34 MZN 464

29.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.59 MZN 100

89.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.82 MZN 52.0

119.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.67 MZN 42.67

110.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.18 MZN 74.8

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.54 MZN 97.5

273.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.59 MZN 101

-5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.99 MZN 62.6

140.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.59 MZN 101

11.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.93 MZN 122

49.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.47 MZN 852

-24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.82 MZN 368

69.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$4.76 MZN 301

193.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.97 MZN 125

101.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$0.62 MZN 39.38

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.64 MZN 103

32.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.03 MZN 65.4

111.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.00 MZN 63.5

96.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.74 MZN 47.08

114.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.95 MZN 60.1

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.53 MZN 33.64

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.89 MZN 183

37.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.21 MZN 456

89.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.97 MZN 61.3

71.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.21 MZN 76.8

86.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.61 MZN 102

-21.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.20 MZN 76.1

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$24.12 MZN 1,525

-64.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.40 MZN 88.5

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$31.4K MZN 2.0M

8.43%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

53.87%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$39.21 MZN 2,480

332.67%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.64 MZN 483

77.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$77.9 MZN 4,926

-63.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$39.09 MZN 2,473

11.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.60 MZN 481

-9.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$173 MZN 10.9K

360.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,041 MZN 318.8K

80.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$49.21 MZN 3,113

72.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$56.0 MZN 3,539

3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$79.2 MZN 5,011

70.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$77.4 MZN 4,898

26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$462 MZN 29.2K

161.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$391 MZN 24.7K

64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$696 MZN 44.0K

191.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$552 MZN 34.9K

83.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$307 MZN 19.4K

114.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-56.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Matola

$391 39.1% 39.1% $251

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Matola

$185 18.6% 37.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Matola

$125 12.5% 41% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Matola

$118 11.9% 30.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Matola

$118 11.8% 30.3% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 91.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Matola

$54 5.4% 5.6% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $462 in Matola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $63 in Matola. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $185 in Matola – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

675,422

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Matola 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Matola

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 Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $999 in Matola – Matola comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,498 in Matola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $462 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $999 in Matola. That makes Matola about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $173 in Matola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Matola, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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