Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tebessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tebessa: $524 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tebessa, Algeria
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Tebessa
🇩🇿 Algeria
$524
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tebessa

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $524 in Tebessa, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Tebessa $524

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $881 in Tebessa, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Tebessa $881

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,237 in Tebessa, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Tebessa $1,237

Medellin costs about 223% more than Tebessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tebessa is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$3.08 DZD 417
170.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.2K
$29.08 DZD 3,936
60.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$3.89 DZD 527
143.44%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$0.68 DZD 91.4
360.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,702
$0.80 DZD 108
121.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,599
$0.24 DZD 32.36
491.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$1.52 DZD 206
107.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$2.10 DZD 284
171.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,948
$0.83 DZD 112
84.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$0.15 DZD 20.38
1426.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,279
$1.15 DZD 155
68.70%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,900
$1.20 DZD 162
155.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$7.70 DZD 1,042
29.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$3.98 DZD 538
162.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$14.56 DZD 1,971
-4.12%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.03 DZD 275
99.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,934
$2.79 DZD 378
-45.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,794
$1.10 DZD 150
90.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,405
$0.96 DZD 131
138.54%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,810
$0.57 DZD 77.5
270.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,518
$0.45 DZD 61.3
280.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,778
$0.72 DZD 97.0
62.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,101
$0.27 DZD 36.79
485.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$2.60 DZD 352
50.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$6.63 DZD 898
111.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,688
$1.27 DZD 172
38.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,756
$1.87 DZD 253
44.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,809
$0.22 DZD 29.67
436.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.3K
$6.78 DZD 917
1025.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,833
$0.58 DZD 78.2
212.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,874
$0.43 DZD 58.7
395.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$5.28 DZD 715
53.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,117
$0.33 DZD 44.04
287.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$32.0K DZD 4.3M
7.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.2M
$34.7K DZD 4.7M
-1.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.8K
$36.27 DZD 4,910
390.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$9.48 DZD 1,284
46.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.2K
$12.19 DZD 1,650
152.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$22.50 DZD 3,045
86.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$4.60 DZD 623
62.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$337 DZD 45.7K
134.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$4,865 DZD 658.4K
152.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.7K
$32.70 DZD 4,426
164.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.3K
$34.11 DZD 4,616
73.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.6K
$68.5 DZD 9,269
102.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.0K
$78.9 DZD 10.7K
25.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$143 DZD 19.4K
834.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$93.5 DZD 12.7K
613.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$273 DZD 37.0K
623.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$196 DZD 26.6K
425.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$969 DZD 131.2K
322.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,029 DZD 139.3K
88.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tebessa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.3
106.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tebessa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Tebessa
$94 86% $574
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Tebessa
$174 43.4% $133
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Tebessa
$58 73.9% $164
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Tebessa
$60 65% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Tebessa
$96 44.1% $76
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Tebessa
$10 88.9% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Tebessa
$32 44.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $143 in Tebessa. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Tebessa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $174 – making Tebessa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇩🇿 Tebessa
🕒 Local time
18:28 6:28 PM
00:28 12:28 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
196,537
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tebessa 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tebessa

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 Tebessa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tebessa cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 223%, 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $787 in Tebessa. 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 Tebessa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tebessa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Tebessa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Tebessa?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $524 in Tebessa. That makes Tebessa about 69% cheaper.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Tebessa?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tebessa, where all-in costs run around $524, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tebessa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Tebessa more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tebessa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Tebessa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 69% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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