Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Port Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Louis: $945 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Port Louis
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$945
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Port Louis

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $945 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,589
  • Port Louis $945

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,579 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,364
  • Port Louis $1,579

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,212 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,139
  • Port Louis $2,212

Medellin costs about 68% more than Port Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Port Louis is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.8K
$5.65 MUR 268
41.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 149.9K
$37.50 MUR 1,776
24.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.4K
$7.21 MUR 342
30.79%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,374
$2.55 MUR 121
14.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,643
$1.11 MUR 52.6
57.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,263
$0.62 MUR 29.22
112.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$2.56 MUR 121
22.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.9K
$4.83 MUR 229
14.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,542
$1.51 MUR 71.7
-6.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,858
$0.78 MUR 36.78
212.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,245
$1.14 MUR 54.1
42.98%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 9,084
$2.50 MUR 119
12.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 31.2K
$5.24 MUR 248
84.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 30.0K
$6.23 MUR 295
49.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 43.3K
$11.33 MUR 537
18.80%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.9K
$2.70 MUR 128
48.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,768
$2.56 MUR 121
-42.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,839
$1.42 MUR 67.3
49.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,253
$3.00 MUR 142
-25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,155
$0.93 MUR 44.22
105.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,214
$0.94 MUR 44.66
72.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,696
$0.73 MUR 34.55
57.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,063
$0.85 MUR 40.15
48.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.3K
$6.48 MUR 307
-41.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 42.2K
$8.16 MUR 386
60.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,136
$1.61 MUR 76.4
-0.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,263
$2.36 MUR 112
-4.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$1.02 MUR 48.26
14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 241.5K
$31.09 MUR 1,472
141.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,098
$4.24 MUR 201
-70.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,600
$3.16 MUR 150
-35.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.4K
$21.17 MUR 1,002
-61.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,088
$1.40 MUR 66.3
-9.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 86.2M
$36.0K MUR 1.7M
-25.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 110.8M
$31.0K MUR 1.5M
10.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 522.3K
$43.83 MUR 2,076
270.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 42.3K
$10.37 MUR 491
26.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 90.5K
$28.41 MUR 1,345
-1.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 142.7K
$25.62 MUR 1,214
73.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.6K
$3.88 MUR 184
320.88%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.6K
$6.20 MUR 294
-1.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.5M
$125 MUR 5,937
509.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.7M
$7,687 MUR 364.1K
15.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 273.6K
$76.2 MUR 3,611
11.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 185.1K
$73.4 MUR 3,475
-21.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 424.2K
$118 MUR 5,574
11.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 308.3K
$77.4 MUR 3,667
23.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$465 MUR 22.0K
121.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$269 MUR 12.7K
125.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.8M
$761 MUR 36.0K
136.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$588 MUR 27.8K
68.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.6M
$4,109 MUR 194.6K
-4.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.3M
$1,047 MUR 49.6K
56.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Port Louis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$670 MUR 31.7K
-6.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.67
64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Louis: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Port Louis
$269 55.6% $336
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Port Louis
$215 25.5% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Port Louis
$83 59.4% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Port Louis
$155 6.8% $11
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Port Louis
$127 23.8% $40
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Port Louis
$55 39.5% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Port Louis
$38 32.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $465 in Port Louis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Port Louis, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $37.00 in Port Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $215 – making Port Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇺 Port Louis
🕒 Local time
01:45 1:45 AM
10:45 10:45 AM
9 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
147,688 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 47.36 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 53.12 MUR (100 MUR = 1.88 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Port Louis 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Port Louis

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 Port Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Louis cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,418 in Port Louis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Louis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Port Louis?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $37.00 in Port Louis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Port Louis?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $945 in Port Louis. That's a gap of about 68%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Port Louis?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Louis, where all-in costs run around $945, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Port Louis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Port Louis more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Port Louis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Port Louis?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Port Louis. 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.

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