Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $635 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Sale
Learn more

Sale Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Sale

🇲🇦 Morocco

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sale

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $635 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Sale $635

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,044 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Sale $1,044

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,453 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Sale $1,453

Medellin costs about 154% more than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sale is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.63 MAD 35.42

118.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$17.82 MAD 174

158.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.19 MAD 70.1

32.13%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.76 MAD 17.20

76.70%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.60 MAD 5.81

205.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.32 MAD 3.16

331.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.63 MAD 25.63

15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.05 MAD 29.76

80.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.90 MAD 8.77

61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.65 MAD 6.36

263.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.90 MAD 18.57

-11.58%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.86 MAD 18.10

53.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.31 MAD 110

-9.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.89 MAD 67.2

38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.38 MAD 121

13.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.34 MAD 13.05

203.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.18 MAD 11.48

27.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.84 MAD 8.23

158.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.90 MAD 8.76

156.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.68 MAD 6.62

183.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.73 MAD 7.15

124.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.47 MAD 4.58

140.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.62 MAD 6.03

101.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.75 MAD 36.51

6.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$4.74 MAD 46.23

181.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.23 MAD 21.75

-23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.13 MAD 20.81

11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.55 MAD 5.32

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$23.03 MAD 225

232.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.69 MAD 6.78

91.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.50 MAD 4.85

328.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.03 MAD 39.30

110.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.48 MAD 14.46

-12.16%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$31.0K MAD 301.9K

-9.62%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$30.8K MAD 300.4K

14.93%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$37.71 MAD 368

356.35%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$10.53 MAD 103

26.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$40.93 MAD 399

-29.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$16.62 MAD 162

172.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$40.69 MAD 397

-58.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.29 MAD 51.6

18.71%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$104 MAD 1,010

643.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,903 MAD 57.6K

52.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$32.27 MAD 315

167.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$46.59 MAD 454

22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$71.9 MAD 701

89.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$66.4 MAD 648

47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$208 MAD 2,025

408.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$102 MAD 994

503.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$356 MAD 3,473

431.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$260 MAD 2,532

293.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,126 MAD 11.0K

260.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$838 MAD 8,167

100.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$516 MAD 5,033

26.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Sale

$102 16.1% 83.4% $514

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Sale

$195 30.8% 33.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sale

$89 14.1% 58.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Sale

$98 15.4% 42.5% $72

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Sale

$95 14.9% 43.7% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sale

$28 4.5% 69.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Sale

$27 4.3% 52.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $208 in Sale. 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 26% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $18.00 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $195 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇦 Sale

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

890,403

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sale 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 154%, 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 $952 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, 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 $18.00 in Sale. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $635 in Sale. That's a gap of about 154%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sale, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Sale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sale – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sale. 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.