Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Poipet

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Poipet, Cambodia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Poipet
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$518
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Poipet

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $518 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Poipet $518

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $813 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Poipet $813

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,109 in Poipet, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Poipet $1,109

Medellin costs about 217% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Poipet is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$2.57 ៛10.5K
214.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$20.39 ៛83.2K
130.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$6.11 ៛24.9K
55.48%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$1.67 ៛6,817
80.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$0.67 ៛2,754
168.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.40 ៛1,626
252.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$1.03 ៛4,190
208.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$2.05 ៛8,369
180.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$2.22 ៛9,043
-31.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.69 ៛6,879
40.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$0.87 ៛3,546
103.45%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$1.74 ៛7,120
66.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$15.47 ៛63.1K
-34.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$2.84 ៛11.6K
247.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$10.24 ៛41.8K
36.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$4.28 ៛17.5K
-7.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.27 ៛5,176
22.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$3.78 ៛15.4K
-42.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$1.05 ៛4,269
107.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.28 ៛5,229
53.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.12 ៛4,566
41.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.36 ៛5,545
-15.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.80 ៛3,276
55.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$1.39 ៛5,677
184.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$7.78 ៛31.7K
75.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$0.99 ៛4,042
67.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.30 ៛9,395
-1.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$2.01 ៛8,213
-36.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.97 ៛3,966
111.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$4.92 ៛20.1K
73.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.26 ៛5,128
7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$25.0K ៛102.0M
36.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$22.5K ៛92.0M
53.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$102 ៛416.8K
66.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$5.73 ៛23.4K
136.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$15.50 ៛63.3K
81.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$4.94 ៛20.2K
39.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$289 ៛1.2M
175.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$4,367 ៛17.8M
108.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$25.81 ៛105.3K
228.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$13.13 ៛53.6K
341.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$68.6 ៛279.8K
96.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$44.58 ៛181.9K
119.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Poipet
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
9.2
18.91%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Poipet
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Poipet
$236 20.4% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Poipet
$123 41.6% $88
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Poipet
$73 57.2% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Poipet
$68 59.5% $101
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Poipet
$6.9 * 92.7% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Poipet
$9.9 * 82.8% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $20 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $236 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇰🇭 Poipet
🕒 Local time
13:04 1:04 PM
01:04 1:04 AM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
98,934
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Poipet 17,790 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Poipet

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Poipet cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $776 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Poipet?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $20 in Poipet. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Poipet?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Poipet?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Poipet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Poipet?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $518 in Poipet to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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