Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Qena

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $468 in Qena, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Qena $468

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $746 in Qena, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Qena $746

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,023 in Qena, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Qena $1,023

Medellin costs about 245% more than Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Qena is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$3.84 E£205

106.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.3K

$14.99 E£801

207.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$5.78 E£309

64.36%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,933

$2.00 E£107

55.50%

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

$1.83 COP 5,839

$0.50 E£26.78

266.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,389

$0.18 E£9.56

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,737

$1.92 E£103

58.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.04 E£162

80.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,631

$0.97 E£51.7

49.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,547

$0.76 E£40.69

210.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$0.66 E£35.14

154.55%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,139

$1.93 E£103

48.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$3.15 E£169

223.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$5.61 E£300

69.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$9.89 E£528

41.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$1.48 E£79.2

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,774

$0.52 E£27.67

188.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,938

$0.41 E£21.67

429.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,359

$0.41 E£21.99

463.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,155

$0.34 E£18.28

467.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,231

$0.39 E£20.87

320.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,595

$0.27 E£14.25

318.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,981

$0.18 E£9.69

594.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$2.14 E£114

86.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$7.22 E£386

84.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,420

$1.26 E£67.1

34.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,576

$1.71 E£91.6

38.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,853

$0.17 E£9.02

611.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,208

$0.37 E£20.03

256.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,820

$0.21 E£11.18

919.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$1.26 E£67.1

572.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,142

$0.43 E£22.75

202.33%

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

$28.0K COP 89.3M

$31.9K E£1.7M

-12.21%

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

$35.4K COP 113.0M

$21.8K E£1.2M

62.80%

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

$172 COP 549.3K

$25.42 E£1,359

576.99%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$7.95 E£425

68.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.7K

$9.28 E£496

209.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.4K

$15.61 E£834

189.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$3.39 E£181

85.25%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$101 E£5,375

665.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$598 E£32.0K

1406.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.8K

$19.95 E£1,066

333.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.4K

$33.52 E£1,791

70.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.8K

$123 E£6,579

10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.5K

$28.92 E£1,545

238.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$133 E£7,086

695.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$79.8 E£4,265

671.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$280 E£14.9K

576.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$145 E£7,723

607.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

$709 E£37.9K

472.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$300 E£16.0K

459.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.21

-32.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Qena

$80 17.1% 87% $536

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Qena

$138 29.5% 53.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Qena

$43 9.1% 80.1% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Qena

$92 19.8% 45.6% $78

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Qena

$90 19.3% 46.3% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Qena

$22 4.8% 61.3% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $133 in Qena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $15.00 in Qena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $138 – making Qena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Qena

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

235,362

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,575 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Qena 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Qena

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 245%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $702 in Qena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $15.00 in Qena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 113% 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 Qena, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Qena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qena – 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 Qena. 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.