Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tepelene

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepelene: $1,196 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tepelene, Albania
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Tepelene
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,196
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tepelene

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,196 in Tepelene, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Tepelene $1,196

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,858 in Tepelene, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Tepelene $1,858

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,521 in Tepelene, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Tepelene $2,521

Medellin costs about 41% more than Tepelene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tepelene is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$10.03 ALL 812
-16.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.2K
$55.6 ALL 4,501
-16.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$11.02 ALL 893
-14.07%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$2.29 ALL 185
36.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,702
$2.46 ALL 200
-28.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,599
$1.30 ALL 105
9.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$3.65 ALL 296
-13.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$4.20 ALL 340
35.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,948
$2.28 ALL 185
-32.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$1.16 ALL 94.1
97.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,279
$2.36 ALL 191
-17.80%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,900
$3.70 ALL 299
-17.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$12.87 ALL 1,042
-22.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$9.31 ALL 754
12.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$17.38 ALL 1,408
-19.68%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$1.99 ALL 162
103.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,934
$2.47 ALL 200
-38.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,794
$2.15 ALL 174
-2.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,405
$1.91 ALL 155
19.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,810
$1.02 ALL 82.5
106.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,518
$1.30 ALL 105
31.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,778
$1.50 ALL 122
-22.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,101
$0.75 ALL 61.2
110.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$4.88 ALL 395
-19.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$10.33 ALL 837
35.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,688
$1.61 ALL 131
9.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,756
$2.02 ALL 163
34.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,809
$0.50 ALL 40.51
136.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.3K
$20.02 ALL 1,622
281.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,833
$3.81 ALL 309
-52.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,874
$3.66 ALL 296
-41.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$18.37 ALL 1,489
-55.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,117
$2.41 ALL 195
-46.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$33.3K ALL 2.7M
3.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.2M
$29.5K ALL 2.4M
15.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.8K
$100 ALL 8,132
77.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$18.49 ALL 1,498
-24.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.2K
$19.85 ALL 1,608
54.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$58.0 ALL 4,697
-27.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$9.94 ALL 805
-24.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$342 ALL 27.7K
130.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$8,473 ALL 686.4K
45.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.7K
$48.63 ALL 3,940
77.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.3K
$48.13 ALL 3,899
23.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.6K
$118 ALL 9,577
17.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.0K
$113 ALL 9,131
-12.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$490 ALL 39.7K
173.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$313 ALL 25.4K
113.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$693 ALL 56.1K
185.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$468 ALL 37.9K
120.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,985 ALL 160.8K
106.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,296 ALL 104.9K
49.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tepelene
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$692 ALL 56.1K
-6.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.16
112.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tepelene: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Tepelene
$313 53.1% $354
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Tepelene
$292 4.9% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Tepelene
$139 37.6% $84
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Tepelene
$182 5.7% $9.8
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Tepelene
$147 14.4% $25
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Tepelene
$44 52.8% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Tepelene
$78 36.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $490 in Tepelene. 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 7% higher in Tepelene, 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 $56 in Tepelene. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $292 in Tepelene – so Tepelene wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇱 Tepelene
🕒 Local time
12:01 12:01 PM
18:01 6:01 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
8,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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 = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.7 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tepelene 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tepelene

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 Tepelene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tepelene cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,794 in Tepelene. 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 Tepelene, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tepelene?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $56 in Tepelene. 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 Tepelene?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,196 in Tepelene. That makes Tepelene about 29% cheaper.
Is $2,000 enough for either Medellin or Tepelene?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,196 in Tepelene, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Medellin or Tepelene more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tepelene – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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