Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
Learn more

Yaounde Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yaounde

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $782 in Yaounde, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Yaounde $782

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,206 in Yaounde, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Yaounde $1,206

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,629 in Yaounde, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Yaounde $1,629

Medellin costs about 106% more than Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yaounde is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

126.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

91.15%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

66.31%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.46 FCFA 854

25.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.56 FCFA 324

146.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.20 FCFA 698

154.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.68 FCFA 980

227.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

-59.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.03 FCFA 602

129.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.27 FCFA 743

32.28%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

41.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

-26.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

58.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

118.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

-18.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

9.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.35 FCFA 786

71.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.63 FCFA 952

18.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.39 FCFA 813

17.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.12 FCFA 654

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.65 FCFA 381

92.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$1.68 FCFA 982

137.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.32 FCFA 772

28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.52 FCFA 305

132.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

344.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.62 FCFA 363

112.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.45 FCFA 261

375.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

44.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.46 FCFA 848

-10.96%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

-14.06%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

67.06%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

114.79%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

-22.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

-43.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

89.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

145.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

-24.52%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$615 FCFA 358.4K

25.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

286.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

415.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

108.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

442.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

75.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$142 FCFA 83.0K

641.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$183 FCFA 106.7K

236.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$408 FCFA 238.1K

363.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$208 FCFA 121.2K

392.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$855 FCFA 498.8K

374.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$589 FCFA 343.7K

184.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$185 FCFA 107.8K

252.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-15.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Yaounde

$183 23.4% 70.3% $433

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Yaounde

$249 31.8% 15.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Yaounde

$149 19% 30.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Yaounde

$56 7.2% 66.9% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Yaounde

$83 10.6% 50.9% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Yaounde

$22 2.8% 76.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Yaounde

$40 5.2% 30% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $142 in Yaounde. 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 253% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $51.0 in Yaounde. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $249 in Yaounde – so Yaounde wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Yaounde 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Yaounde

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 Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,173 in Yaounde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yaounde, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $51.0 in Yaounde. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $782 in Yaounde. That's a gap of about 106%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Yaounde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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