Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
Learn more

Mersa Matruh Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Medellin costs about 255% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Mersa Matruh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$4.20 E£234

97.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$19.05 E£1,062

146.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.72 E£264

95.76%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,596

$1.27 E£70.6

140.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,659

$0.33 E£18.14

445.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,345

$0.11 E£6.01

1154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.36 E£75.8

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.79 E£156

99.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,720

$0.87 E£48.65

72.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,445

$0.66 E£37.07

259.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,332

$0.65 E£36.07

161.54%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,301

$1.19 E£66.1

148.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$3.80 E£212

168.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$4.24 E£237

129.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$9.23 E£515

50.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.54 E£86.1

168.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$0.75 E£41.82

104.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,993

$0.55 E£30.85

303.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$0.35 E£19.76

548.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,258

$0.26 E£14.59

665.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,241

$0.30 E£16.70

456.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.27 E£15.19

337.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,886

$0.22 E£11.99

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$1.85 E£103

109.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$5.67 E£316

143.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,212

$1.25 E£69.6

32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,552

$2.28 E£127

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.21 E£11.72

490.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$0.56 E£31.13

128.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.17 E£9.23

1164.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$1.20 E£67.1

597.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$0.43 E£24.06

213.95%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$32.5K E£1.8M

7.02%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.1K E£1.5M

28.11%

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

$167 COP 524.0K

$14.05 E£784

1086.12%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$6.68 E£373

103.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$13.50 E£753

115.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$15.88 E£885

183.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$2.91 E£162

139.52%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$85.0 E£4,740

829.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$2,090 E£116.6K

332.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$33.72 E£1,881

160.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.8K

$45.91 E£2,560

26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.0K

$128 E£7,112

8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$57.4 E£3,202

72.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$128 E£7,152

701.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$76.7 E£4,278

707.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$256 E£14.3K

635.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$144 E£8,048

598.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$772 E£43.0K

416.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$354 E£19.7K

381.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$94.2 E£5,253

604.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.33

-48.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 87.6% $543

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 57.6% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 83.7% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 31.1% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 54.9% $94

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 97.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 63.3% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. 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 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

140,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.49 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Mersa Matruh 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mersa Matruh

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 255%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 136% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – 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 Mersa Matruh. 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.