Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Poipet Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Poipet

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Medellin vs $523 in Poipet, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,447 per month in Medellin vs $803 in Poipet, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,253 per month in Medellin vs $1,084 in Poipet, rent included.

Medellin costs about 214% more than Poipet, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Poipet is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$2.52 ៛10.2K

219.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.6K

$20.15 ៛81.6K

139.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$5.86 ៛23.7K

60.75%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,040

$1.65 ៛6,668

78.18%

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

$1.86 COP 5,735

$0.70 ៛2,841

165.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,479

$0.46 ៛1,853

217.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,882

$1.03 ៛4,159

211.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$2.01 ៛8,148

184.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,428

$2.24 ៛9,070

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,389

$1.75 ៛7,073

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,228

$1.03 ៛4,171

65.05%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,896

$1.65 ៛6,699

75.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 30.9K

$14.10 ៛57.1K

-28.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$2.61 ៛10.6K

281.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$9.93 ៛40.2K

43.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$4.33 ៛17.5K

-8.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,878

$1.22 ៛4,935

29.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,624

$3.86 ៛15.6K

-44.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,078

$1.04 ៛4,215

121.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,169

$1.33 ៛5,368

50.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,646

$1.11 ៛4,497

36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,701

$1.31 ៛5,321

-8.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,946

$0.81 ៛3,286

58.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$1.52 ៛6,139

152.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$7.49 ៛30.3K

87.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,256

$0.98 ៛3,973

74.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,440

$2.20 ៛8,919

24.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,834

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,016

$2.02 ៛8,169

-35.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,680

$1.02 ៛4,142

112.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$4.94 ៛20.0K

67.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,172

$1.25 ៛5,075

8.80%

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

$27.5K COP 84.5M

$25.2K ៛102.2M

8.88%

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

$36.5K COP 112.4M

$22.1K ៛89.4M

65.42%

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

$169 COP 519.2K

$106 ៛430.1K

58.87%

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

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$5.74 ៛23.3K

136.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$14.31 ៛58.0K

97.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$4.91 ៛19.9K

35.44%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$282 ៛1.1M

185.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$4,506 ៛18.2M

103.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 268.8K

$25.95 ៛105.1K

236.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.7K

$13.14 ៛53.2K

351.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.5K

$69.7 ៛282.1K

99.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.0K

$45.25 ៛183.3K

125.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Poipet: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Medellin versus $20.00 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $231 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 214%, and the gap shows up most in Clothing & Footwear. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,462 per month in Medellin and $784 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Medellin and $20.00 in Poipet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Medellin at $1,641. In Poipet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Poipet – 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 Poipet. 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.