Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $951 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yala

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $951 in Yala, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Yala $951

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,539 in Yala, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Yala $1,539

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,127 in Yala, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Yala $2,127

Medellin costs about 78% more than Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Yala is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.44 ฿48.61

479.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$26.66 ฿899

74.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.51 ฿287

11.28%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.90 ฿64.2

64.74%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.52 ฿17.51

240.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.17 ฿5.57

735.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.29 ฿77.3

37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.18 ฿107

79.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.89 ฿63.8

-19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.24 ฿41.73

84.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.21 ฿40.75

60.33%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.10 ฿70.8

46.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$14.75 ฿498

-32.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$2.30 ฿77.7

354.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$10.78 ฿364

29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.64 ฿89.0

53.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.97 ฿32.61

57.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.86 ฿62.8

12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.67 ฿56.5

37.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.49 ฿50.2

41.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.11 ฿37.43

54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.06 ฿35.85

10.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.50 ฿17.00

216.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.31 ฿145

-9.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$16.17 ฿546

-13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.71 ฿57.7

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.04 ฿103

-10.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.57 ฿19.34

107.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.30 ฿43.83

39.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.26 ฿42.64

69.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.07 ฿171

60.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.40 ฿47.31

-8.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$26.4K ฿889.7K

30.60%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$26.7K ฿900.6K

27.87%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$76.1 ฿2,567

133.58%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.65 ฿393

19.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$20.25 ฿683

51.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$50.2 ฿1,693

-16.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$12.66 ฿427

32.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.64 ฿224

12.50%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$617 ฿20.8K

28.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$13.8K ฿467.2K

-11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$48.68 ฿1,642

77.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$25.24 ฿852

134.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$75.9 ฿2,562

82.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$84.2 ฿2,841

17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$508 ฿17.1K

163.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$353 ฿11.9K

89.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,220 ฿41.2K

61.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$809 ฿27.3K

27.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,226 ฿75.1K

84.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,529 ฿51.6K

26.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.57

96.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Yala

$353 37.1% 47.1% $314

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Yala

$231 24.3% 24.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Yala

$108 11.4% 51.4% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Yala

$80 8.5% 53.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Yala

$105 11.1% 38.8% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Yala

$9.9 * 1% 89.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Yala

$63 6.7% 11.5% $6.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $508 in Yala. 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 $27 in Yala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $231 – making Yala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

04:49 4:49 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

60,617

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Yala 18,550 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,427 in Yala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $508 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Yala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $951 in Yala. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Yala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.