Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tlemcen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlemcen: $398 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tlemcen, Algeria
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Tlemcen
🇩🇿 Algeria
$398
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tlemcen

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $398 in Tlemcen, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Tlemcen $398

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $719 in Tlemcen, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Tlemcen $719

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,040 in Tlemcen, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Tlemcen $1,040

Medellin costs about 325% more than Tlemcen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tlemcen is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$3.44 DZD 465
142.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$9.97 DZD 1,349
366.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.5K
$4.02 DZD 544
135.57%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$0.69 DZD 93.0
353.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,696
$0.67 DZD 91.1
164.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,594
$0.50 DZD 68.1
184.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$1.14 DZD 154
176.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$2.18 DZD 295
161.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,943
$0.94 DZD 127
62.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,389
$0.15 DZD 20.93
1426.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,273
$1.99 DZD 269
-2.51%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,889
$1.51 DZD 204
103.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$9.49 DZD 1,283
5.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$3.39 DZD 458
208.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$9.25 DZD 1,251
50.92%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.89 DZD 391
40.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,929
$2.71 DZD 367
-43.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,786
$1.40 DZD 189
50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$1.04 DZD 141
120.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,803
$0.76 DZD 103
177.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,512
$0.56 DZD 76.0
205.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,774
$0.74 DZD 100
58.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,096
$0.42 DZD 56.6
276.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$1.54 DZD 208
153.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$9.89 DZD 1,338
41.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,682
$0.99 DZD 134
77.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,746
$1.08 DZD 145
150.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,805
$0.16 DZD 21.54
637.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,827
$0.86 DZD 117
110.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,867
$0.31 DZD 41.86
587.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$2.35 DZD 318
245.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,113
$0.30 DZD 41.20
326.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$16.1K DZD 2.2M
114.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$29.7K DZD 4.0M
14.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.2K
$19.16 DZD 2,592
827.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$7.62 DZD 1,031
82.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.1K
$15.88 DZD 2,148
93.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$4.60 DZD 622
62.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$37.80 DZD 5,114
1990.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$3,191 DZD 431.6K
285.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.4K
$35.22 DZD 4,764
145.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.1K
$51.6 DZD 6,977
14.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.2K
$67.7 DZD 9,159
104.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.7K
$73.0 DZD 9,876
35.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$267 DZD 36.1K
639.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$153 DZD 20.7K
575.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tlemcen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.5
68.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tlemcen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Tlemcen
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Tlemcen
$178 42.1% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Tlemcen
$43 80.8% $180
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Tlemcen
$63 63.7% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Tlemcen
$102 40.6% $70
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Tlemcen
$3.1 * 96.7% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Tlemcen
$9.2 * 83.8% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $10 in Tlemcen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $178 – making Tlemcen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇩🇿 Tlemcen
🕒 Local time
18:16 6:16 PM
00:16 12:16 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
140,158
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,620 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.59 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tlemcen 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tlemcen

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 Tlemcen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tlemcen cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 325%, 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 $597 in Tlemcen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tlemcen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $10 in Tlemcen. 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 Tlemcen?
Groceries cost about 73% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Tlemcen?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tlemcen, where all-in costs run around $398, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tlemcen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Tlemcen?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $398 in Tlemcen to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?