Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sihanoukville Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sihanoukville

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,013 per month in Medellin vs $920 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,602 per month in Medellin vs $1,398 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,192 per month in Medellin vs $1,876 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Medellin costs about 10% more than Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Medellin and Sihanoukville are more affordable than the global median – Medellin 24% lower, Sihanoukville 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 COP 21.4K

$4.07 ៛16.4K

47.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.86 COP 117.4K

$27.07 ៛108.9K

21.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 COP 25.3K

$6.91 ៛27.8K

2.60%

Cappuccino

$1.71 COP 6,115

$2.54 ៛10.2K

-32.68%

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

$1.10 COP 3,924

$0.84 ៛3,377

30.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 COP 2,781

$0.43 ៛1,731

81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 COP 5,997

$0.99 ៛3,964

69.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 COP 11.0K

$1.96 ៛7,876

56.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,906

$2.15 ៛8,653

-49.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 COP 4,508

$1.46 ៛5,889

-13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,922

$0.94 ៛3,767

46.81%

Eggs

$2.19 COP 7,827

$1.77 ៛7,116

23.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 COP 15.7K

$13.01 ៛52.3K

-66.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 COP 20.1K

$4.18 ៛16.8K

34.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 COP 31.8K

$9.25 ៛37.2K

-3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 COP 8,349

$3.60 ៛14.5K

-35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,777

$1.38 ៛5,541

-23.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 COP 5,374

$3.87 ៛15.5K

-61.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,924

$1.53 ៛6,166

-9.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 4,111

$1.31 ៛5,283

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,155

$1.14 ៛4,585

1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,182

$1.39 ៛5,578

-35.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,997

$0.67 ៛2,710

25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 COP 8,145

$1.53 ៛6,159

49.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 COP 38.0K

$11.15 ៛44.8K

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 4,284

$0.96 ៛3,850

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 COP 8,824

$1.62 ៛6,507

52.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 COP 3,056

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.40 COP 147.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 COP 5,264

$1.08 ៛4,344

36.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 COP 7,009

$0.98 ៛3,950

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 COP 27.6K

$4.47 ៛18.0K

73.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 COP 3,409

$1.17 ៛4,693

-18.80%

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

$18.1K COP 64.7M

$48.0K ៛193.1M

-62.25%

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

$26.5K COP 94.6M

$36.7K ៛147.4M

-27.77%

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

$82.3 COP 293.7K

$105 ៛421.8K

-21.58%

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

$9.50 COP 33.9K

$6.26 ៛25.2K

51.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.23 COP 86.5K

$18.96 ៛76.3K

27.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.89 COP 92.4K

$72.9 ៛293.1K

-64.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 COP 67.9K

$9.98 ៛40.1K

90.38%

Cinema Ticket

$3.93 COP 14.0K

$4.62 ៛18.6K

-14.94%

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

$309 COP 1.1M

$331 ៛1.3M

-6.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,965 COP 21.3M

$4,988 ៛20.1M

19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 COP 209.5K

$22.40 ៛90.1K

161.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.35 COP 115.5K

$19.63 ៛78.9K

64.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 COP 366.4K

$91.2 ៛366.9K

12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 387.2K

$20.02 ៛80.5K

441.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 COP 1.7M

$408 ៛1.6M

16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 COP 1.4M

$296 ៛1.2M

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 COP 3.0M

$647 ៛2.6M

29.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 COP 2.6M

$495 ៛2.0M

46.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,791 COP 10.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 COP 4.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 COP 1.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

10.3

30.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: May 31, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $476 in Medellin versus $408 in Sihanoukville. 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 $33.00 in Medellin versus $27.00 in Sihanoukville. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in Medellin vs $234 in Sihanoukville – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 10%, 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 $1,519 per month in Medellin and $1,379 in Sihanoukville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sihanoukville, 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 $33.00 in Medellin and $27.00 in Sihanoukville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Medellin at $1,013. In Sihanoukville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sihanoukville – 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 Sihanoukville. 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.