Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Oued Zem

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $751 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
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Oued Zem Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Oued Zem

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $751 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Oued Zem $751

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,196 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Oued Zem $1,196

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,640 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Oued Zem $1,640

Medellin costs about 118% more than Oued Zem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Oued Zem is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.18 MAD 41.18

93.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$41.10 MAD 405

14.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.11 MAD 70.0

33.61%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.93 MAD 19.03

55.96%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.57 MAD 5.59

215.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.36 MAD 3.58

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$4.95 MAD 48.75

-35.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.19 MAD 31.46

80.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.82 MAD 8.05

84.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.61 MAD 5.96

290.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.85 MAD 18.21

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.95 MAD 19.18

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.22 MAD 111

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.67 MAD 65.7

47.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.88 MAD 117

17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.60 MAD 15.80

148.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.42 MAD 13.99

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.89 MAD 8.77

144.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.82 MAD 8.08

165.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.71 MAD 7.03

176.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.79 MAD 7.74

101.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.39 MAD 3.86

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.61 MAD 5.97

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.23 MAD 41.63

-6.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.23 MAD 71.2

89.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.56 MAD 25.25

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.58 MAD 25.45

-12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.50 MAD 4.95

134.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$19.08 MAD 188

305.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.73 MAD 7.19

73.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.75 MAD 7.36

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$3.95 MAD 38.95

116.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.50 MAD 14.77

-10.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.9K MAD 294.5K

13.94%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.7K MAD 322.5K

5.87%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$36.51 MAD 360

364.67%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$9.90 MAD 97.5

36.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$33.95 MAD 334

-17.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$22.75 MAD 224

92.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$19.10 MAD 188

-10.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.24 MAD 61.4

10.74%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$181 MAD 1,779

340.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,550 MAD 94.1K

-4.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$47.28 MAD 466

79.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.31 MAD 387

47.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$91.6 MAD 902

47.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$66.5 MAD 655

47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$314 MAD 3,096

284.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$185 MAD 1,824

246.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$476 MAD 4,686

326.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$283 MAD 2,788

257.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,129 MAD 11.1K

269.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$874 MAD 8,606

118.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$230 MAD 2,264

185.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.55

140.44%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oued Zem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Oued Zem

$185 24.7% 71.1% $456

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Oued Zem

$201 26.8% 32.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Oued Zem

$80 10.7% 62% $131

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Oued Zem

$113 15% 33.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Oued Zem

$110 14.7% 34.8% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Oued Zem

$26 3.4% 72.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Oued Zem

$35 4.7% 38.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $314 in Oued Zem. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $41 in Oued Zem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $201 – making Oued Zem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

95,267

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Oued Zem 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Oued Zem

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 Oued Zem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 118%, 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 $1,126 in Oued Zem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oued Zem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $314 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $41 in Oued Zem. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $751 in Oued Zem. That makes Oued Zem about 54% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Oued Zem, where all-in costs run around $751, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Oued Zem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oued Zem – 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 Oued Zem. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.