Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sidi Bel Abbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes: $532 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sidi Bel Abbes
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Sidi Bel Abbes Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sidi Bel Abbes

🇩🇿 Algeria

$532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $532 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sidi Bel Abbes $532

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $880 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sidi Bel Abbes $880

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,227 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sidi Bel Abbes $1,227

Medellin costs about 208% more than Sidi Bel Abbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sidi Bel Abbes is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.34 DZD 316

245.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$20.93 DZD 2,819

124.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$3.86 DZD 520

146.11%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$0.40 DZD 53.2

652.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.59 DZD 79.9

205.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.28 DZD 38.15

403.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.71 DZD 230

85.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.84 DZD 382

102.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.95 DZD 128

58.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.07 DZD 9.88

3300.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.01 DZD 136

75.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.57 DZD 211

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.64 DZD 1,298

5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.74 DZD 773

71.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$15.40 DZD 2,074

-9.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.71 DZD 364

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.25 DZD 302

-31.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.39 DZD 188

56.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.45 DZD 60.0

384.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.32 DZD 43.76

512.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.62 DZD 84.0

156.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.64 DZD 86.8

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.35 DZD 47.33

254.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.85 DZD 249

114.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$9.88 DZD 1,331

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.22 DZD 299

-25.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$0.95 DZD 128

137.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.22 DZD 29.00

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$7.40 DZD 996

945.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.67 DZD 90.6

89.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.31 DZD 41.48

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$2.31 DZD 312

270.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.32 DZD 43.14

321.88%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$16.4K DZD 2.2M

107.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.8K DZD 4.0M

16.29%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$18.78 DZD 2,528

803.35%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.80 DZD 1,185

53.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$15.68 DZD 2,111

79.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$17.47 DZD 2,353

150.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$1.56 DZD 210

342.95%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$54.6 DZD 7,356

1358.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,260 DZD 439.0K

179.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$33.73 DZD 4,542

151.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$53.5 DZD 7,208

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$80.9 DZD 10.9K

66.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$80.9 DZD 10.9K

20.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$144 DZD 19.4K

740.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$92.3 DZD 12.4K

594.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$234 DZD 31.5K

767.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$191 DZD 25.7K

430.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,008 DZD 135.7K

313.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,064 DZD 143.2K

79.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$347 DZD 46.8K

89.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.5

68.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sidi Bel Abbes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$92 17.3% 85.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$201 37.7% 32.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$43 8.1% 79.5% $168

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$53 9.9% 68.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$112 21.1% 33.7% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$10 2% 88.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$21 3.9% 64.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $144 in Sidi Bel Abbes. 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 89% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $21 in Sidi Bel Abbes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $201 – making Sidi Bel Abbes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇿 Sidi Bel Abbes

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

212,935

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sidi Bel Abbes 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 208%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $799 in Sidi Bel Abbes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $144 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $21 in Sidi Bel Abbes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $532 in Sidi Bel Abbes. That makes Sidi Bel Abbes about 68% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sidi Bel Abbes, where all-in costs run around $532, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sidi Bel Abbes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sidi Bel Abbes – 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 Sidi Bel Abbes. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.