Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,033 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tamarin, Mauritius
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Tamarin
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$1,033
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tamarin

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,033 in Tamarin, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Tamarin $1,033

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,648 in Tamarin, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Tamarin $1,648

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,263 in Tamarin, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Tamarin $2,263

Medellin costs about 59% more than Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tamarin is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$6.00 MUR 280
34.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$32.24 MUR 1,502
45.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$7.12 MUR 332
33.43%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$2.69 MUR 126
11.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.15 MUR 53.4
56.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.64 MUR 29.77
120.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.59 MUR 121
22.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$4.81 MUR 224
19.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.49 MUR 69.3
1.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.20 MUR 9.31
1090.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.14 MUR 53.2
55.26%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.55 MUR 119
13.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$3.75 MUR 175
171.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$6.26 MUR 292
57.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$11.29 MUR 526
23.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.11 MUR 98.2
88.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.14 MUR 99.6
-27.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.40 MUR 65.4
55.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$3.01 MUR 140
-27.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$0.96 MUR 44.71
104.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.02 MUR 47.34
55.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$0.70 MUR 32.38
64.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.88 MUR 41.03
40.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$6.18 MUR 288
-35.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$8.69 MUR 405
57.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.69 MUR 78.6
-1.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$1.94 MUR 90.2
16.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$0.87 MUR 40.41
34.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$4.24 MUR 197
-70.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.24 MUR 151
-36.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$6.42 MUR 299
33.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.37 MUR 63.7
-1.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$29.8K MUR 1.4M
14.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
12.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$44.27 MUR 2,062
283.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$10.47 MUR 488
29.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$29.63 MUR 1,380
-5.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$41.34 MUR 1,926
5.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$6.46 MUR 301
6.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$125 MUR 5,833
536.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$3,083 MUR 143.6K
195.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$63.5 MUR 2,960
33.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$53.8 MUR 2,507
7.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$85.9 MUR 4,002
57.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$58.9 MUR 2,745
66.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$957 MUR 44.6K
26.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$420 MUR 19.6K
52.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,608 MUR 74.9K
26.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$862 MUR 40.1K
17.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tamarin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$835 MUR 38.9K
-21.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.67
64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tamarin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Tamarin
$420 34.5% $221
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Tamarin
$200 32.6% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Tamarin
$84 60.1% $127
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Tamarin
$131 22.5% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Tamarin
$118 30.2% $51
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Tamarin
$24 * 74.5% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Tamarin
$54 5.7% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $957 in Tamarin. 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 27% higher in Tamarin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $32 in Tamarin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $200 – making Tamarin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇺 Tamarin
🕒 Local time
17:00 5:00 PM
02:00 2:00 AM
9 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
4,371
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tamarin 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tamarin cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,549 in Tamarin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tamarin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $957 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tamarin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Tamarin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Tamarin?
Groceries cost about 48% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Tamarin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,033 in Tamarin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Medellin or Tamarin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tamarin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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