Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Phnom Penh

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Phnom Penh $1,083

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,778 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Phnom Penh $1,778

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,474 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Phnom Penh $2,474

Medellin costs about 51% more than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.55 ៛18.5K

77.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$40.42 ៛164.7K

16.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.01 ៛28.6K

35.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.84 ៛11.6K

5.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.72 ៛7,001

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.67 ៛2,727

110.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.03 ៛4,187

208.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.05 ៛12.4K

88.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.28 ៛9,284

-33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.60 ៛6,536

48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.07 ៛4,378

65.42%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.82 ៛7,428

58.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.70 ៛59.9K

-30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.45 ៛18.1K

121.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.63 ៛39.2K

45.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.14 ៛16.9K

-4.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.70 ៛6,947

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$4.49 ៛18.3K

-51.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.02 ៛8,218

7.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.72 ៛6,997

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.26 ៛5,125

26.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.39 ៛5,659

-17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.77 ៛3,146

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.95 ៛7,933

103.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.14 ៛45.4K

22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.01 ៛4,122

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.79 ៛7,296

26.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.38 ៛1,560

207.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$9.88 ៛40.3K

683.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.10 ៛4,463

15.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.01 ៛4,126

102.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.02 ៛20.4K

70.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.36 ៛5,553

-0.74%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.8K ៛141.9M

-2.14%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$44.6K ៛181.9M

-22.34%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$118 ៛481.8K

43.49%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.32 ៛29.8K

85.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$25.26 ៛102.9K

11.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$37.94 ៛154.6K

15.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$11.05 ៛45.0K

55.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.09 ៛20.7K

35.76%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$597 ៛2.4M

33.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.1K ៛45.3M

-18.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$28.17 ៛114.8K

200.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$24.25 ៛98.8K

139.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$90.2 ៛367.4K

49.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$58.1 ៛236.6K

68.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$658 ៛2.7M

83.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$406 ៛1.7M

57.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,441 ៛5.9M

40.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$950 ៛3.9M

6.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,710 ៛11.0M

53.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,523 ៛6.2M

25.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$315 ៛1.3M

108.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.94

37.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5% 36.7% $235

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8% 13.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9% 28.6% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4% 33.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3% 46.6% $79

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6% 81.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4% 16.3% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $658 in Phnom Penh. 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 $40 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $258 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Phnom Penh 18,030 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,625 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phnom Penh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $658 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Phnom Penh. 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 $1,083 in Phnom Penh. That makes Phnom Penh about 34% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,083, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Phnom Penh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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