Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $746 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tema

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $746 in Tema, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tema $746

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,186 in Tema, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tema $1,186

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,627 in Tema, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tema $1,627

Medellin costs about 120% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tema is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.04 GHS 82.1

14.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.68 GHS 322

69.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.09 GHS 59.3

-40.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.85 GHS 9.85

111.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.30 GHS 3.50

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.31 GHS 38.54

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.56 GHS 29.77

124.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$3.25 GHS 37.90

-53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.54 GHS 17.94

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.98 GHS 23.07

-10.61%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.37 GHS 27.61

21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.27 GHS 49.70

138.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.18 GHS 37.02

210.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$3.43 GHS 39.94

307.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.63 GHS 30.60

50.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.11 GHS 24.57

-26.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.20 GHS 25.59

-0.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.48 GHS 40.58

-37.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.34 GHS 38.93

-41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.75 GHS 32.06

-42.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.44 GHS 5.18

161.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.66 GHS 7.64

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.32 GHS 15.35

200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.67 GHS 101

57.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.16 GHS 25.22

-23.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.04 GHS 35.43

-25.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.69 GHS 19.70

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$41.27 GHS 481

87.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.11 GHS 24.59

-39.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.41 GHS 4.83

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.14 GHS 13.30

18.42%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$76.6 GHS 892

121.62%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$14.89 GHS 173

-9.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$83.0 GHS 967

-66.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$23.21 GHS 270

88.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.76 GHS 102

-21.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$174 GHS 2,024

358.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,582 GHS 30.1K

252.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$12.97 GHS 151

553.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$15.23 GHS 177

280.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$43.68 GHS 509

208.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$32.85 GHS 383

197.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$127 GHS 1,478

852.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$72.0 GHS 838

791.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$436 GHS 5,078

365.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$217 GHS 2,527

366.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$9,800 GHS 114.2K

-57.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,945 GHS 69.3K

-67.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$419 GHS 4,883

56.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-68.74%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tema

$72 9.7% 88.8% $570

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tema

$216 28.9% 27.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tema

$174 23.4% 17.4% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tema

$144 * 19.3% 15.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tema

$47 6.3% 72.1% $122

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tema

$52 7% 44.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tema

$41 5.5% 29.2% $17

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 $127 in Tema. 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 57% 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 $28 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

160,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tema 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,119 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in Tema. 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 $746 in Tema. That makes Tema about 55% cheaper.

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