Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Xai-Xai

For one person, living is cheaper in Xai-Xai: $682 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Xai-Xai
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Xai-Xai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Xai-Xai

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Xai-Xai

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $682 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Xai-Xai $682

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,151 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Xai-Xai $1,151

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,620 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Xai-Xai $1,620

Medellin costs about 140% more than Xai-Xai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Xai-Xai is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.16 MZN 642

-20.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$63.7 MZN 4,029

-26.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.21 MZN 456

31.76%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.16 MZN 137

39.35%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.86 MZN 54.5

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.73 MZN 46.29

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.60 MZN 101

98.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.33 MZN 147

146.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.54 MZN 97.6

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.03 MZN 65.4

131.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$1.60 MZN 101

10.62%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.50 MZN 158

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$21.24 MZN 1,343

-52.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.72 MZN 362

72.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$5.80 MZN 367

141.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.99 MZN 126

99.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$0.75 MZN 47.22

106.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.68 MZN 107

29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.08 MZN 68.4

101.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.04 MZN 65.5

88.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.79 MZN 50.1

101.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.92 MZN 58.0

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.90 MZN 57.1

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.79 MZN 176

41.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.08 MZN 637

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$0.97 MZN 61.6

71.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$1.27 MZN 80.4

77.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.53 MZN 96.6

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.19 MZN 75.4

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$24.19 MZN 1,530

-64.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.40 MZN 88.8

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$32.0K MZN 2.0M

6.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.7K MZN 1.4M

52.51%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$71.4 MZN 4,518

137.51%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$7.74 MZN 490

75.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$88.5 MZN 5,596

-68.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.72 MZN 488

-10.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$178 MZN 11.2K

348.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,082 MZN 321.4K

79.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$49.75 MZN 3,146

70.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$57.0 MZN 3,606

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$77.2 MZN 4,881

74.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$79.3 MZN 5,017

23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-56.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Xai-Xai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Xai-Xai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Xai-Xai

$225 33% 24.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Xai-Xai

$168 24.6% 20.7% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Xai-Xai

$148 21.7% 12.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Xai-Xai

$118 17.4% 29.9% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Xai-Xai

$7.5 * 1.1% 92% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Xai-Xai

$15 * 2.3% 73.1% $42

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 $64 in Xai-Xai. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $225 in Xai-Xai – so Xai-Xai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇿 Xai-Xai

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

116,343

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Xai-Xai 12,240 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Xai-Xai

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 Xai-Xai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,023 in Xai-Xai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $64 in Xai-Xai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xai-Xai, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Xai-Xai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $682 in Xai-Xai to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.