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

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,031 per month in Medellin vs $924 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Medellin vs $1,382 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Medellin vs $1,839 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Medellin costs about 12% more than Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Medellin and Sihanoukville are more affordable than the global median – Medellin 23% lower, Sihanoukville 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 COP 20.1K

$4.04 ៛16.3K

52.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.60 COP 106.1K

$28.03 ៛113.0K

16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 COP 23.9K

$7.13 ៛28.7K

2.95%

Cappuccino

$1.72 COP 5,599

$2.51 ៛10.1K

-31.47%

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

$1.05 COP 3,420

$0.84 ៛3,389

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 COP 2,515

$0.40 ៛1,614

92.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 COP 5,487

$1.01 ៛4,079

67.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 COP 10.3K

$1.98 ៛7,988

60.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 COP 3,423

$2.08 ៛8,388

-49.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 COP 4,236

$1.53 ៛6,163

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,544

$0.93 ៛3,733

50.54%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 7,046

$1.77 ៛7,150

22.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 COP 14.3K

$12.87 ៛51.9K

-65.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 COP 19.1K

$4.05 ៛16.3K

45.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 COP 28.1K

$8.80 ៛35.5K

-1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 COP 7,425

$3.44 ៛13.9K

-33.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,603

$1.44 ៛5,801

-22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,982

$3.81 ៛15.4K

-59.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 COP 4,410

$1.46 ៛5,886

-7.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,674

$1.30 ៛5,223

-13.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,692

$1.20 ៛4,830

-5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 COP 2,753

$1.46 ៛5,867

-41.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 COP 2,975

$0.71 ៛2,872

28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 COP 7,629

$1.52 ៛6,138

53.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 COP 40.3K

$10.80 ៛43.5K

14.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,909

$0.93 ៛3,729

29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 COP 8,104

$1.69 ៛6,819

47.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 COP 2,727

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.57 COP 132.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 COP 4,623

$1.07 ៛4,315

32.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 COP 6,235

$0.99 ៛3,976

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.66 COP 24.9K

$4.63 ៛18.7K

65.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 COP 3,223

$1.17 ៛4,723

-15.38%

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

$18.0K COP 58.7M

$49.1K ៛198.0M

-63.29%

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

$26.6K COP 86.7M

$37.6K ៛151.4M

-29.13%

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

$80.8 COP 263.1K

$107 ៛432.3K

-24.65%

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

$9.95 COP 32.4K

$6.36 ៛25.6K

56.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 COP 78.7K

$18.93 ៛76.3K

27.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 COP 81.6K

$72.9 ៛293.9K

-65.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.15 COP 62.3K

$10.11 ៛40.7K

89.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 COP 13.0K

$4.55 ៛18.3K

-12.53%

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

$305 COP 993.4K

$332 ៛1.3M

-8.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,059 COP 19.7M

$5,131 ៛20.7M

18.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 COP 189.2K

$21.85 ៛88.1K

166.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.20 COP 104.8K

$19.83 ៛79.9K

62.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 COP 327.9K

$91.7 ៛369.6K

9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 350.8K

$20.14 ៛81.2K

435.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 COP 1.6M

$394 ៛1.6M

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 COP 1.2M

$301 ៛1.2M

25.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 COP 2.7M

$657 ៛2.6M

28.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 COP 2.4M

$493 ៛2.0M

48.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,215 COP 10.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 COP 4.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$617 COP 2.0M

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Medellin versus $394 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 $28.00 in Sihanoukville. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Medellin vs $231 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 12%, 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 $1,546 per month in Medellin and $1,386 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 $28.00 in Sihanoukville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% 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 $924, than in Medellin at $1,031. 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.