Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mindelo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $387 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$387

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mindelo and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mindelo and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $387 per month in Mindelo vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Mindelo $387
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $897 per month in Mindelo vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Mindelo $897
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,406 per month in Mindelo vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Mindelo $1,406
Medellin $3,186

Mindelo is about 76% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mindelo sits 72% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 CVE 873

$8.09 COP 25.4K

9.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 CVE 5,622

$47.05 COP 148.0K

20.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

Cappuccino

$1.11 CVE 109

$3.01 COP 9,485

-63.12%

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

$1.26 CVE 124

$1.80 COP 5,660

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 CVE 102

$1.41 COP 4,443

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 CVE 270

$3.18 COP 9,990

-14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 CVE 147

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-74.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 CVE 142

$1.51 COP 4,751

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 CVE 109

$2.38 COP 7,480

-53.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 CVE 78.5

$1.77 COP 5,573

-55.37%

Eggs

$2.52 CVE 249

$2.89 COP 9,093

-12.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 CVE 1,569

$10.19 COP 32.1K

55.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 CVE 1,741

$13.99 COP 44.0K

25.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 CVE 220

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-43.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CVE 193

$1.55 COP 4,883

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CVE 289

$2.18 COP 6,867

33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 CVE 295

$2.18 COP 6,870

37.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 CVE 76.2

$1.96 COP 6,174

-60.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 CVE 162

$1.59 COP 5,000

3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 CVE 102

$1.15 COP 3,604

-9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 CVE 70.2

$1.24 COP 3,911

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 CVE 498

$3.96 COP 12.5K

27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 CVE 801

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CVE 187

$1.66 COP 5,221

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CVE 202

$2.26 COP 7,103

-9.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 CVE 40.41

$1.17 COP 3,674

-64.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.74 CVE 3,039

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-60.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 CVE 149

$1.27 COP 3,989

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CVE 146

$2.05 COP 6,442

-27.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 CVE 1,007

$8.55 COP 26.9K

19.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 CVE 173

$1.35 COP 4,237

29.63%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

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

$170 COP 533.7K

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.01 CVE 298

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-82.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 CVE 35.7K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-82.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 CVE 24.9K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-75.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Mindelo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Mindelo

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Mindelo versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Mindelo vs $297 in Medellin – so Mindelo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

4 h behind Mindelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.11 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 98.88 CVE (100 CVE = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mindelo Medellin 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mindelo
Medellin

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

Mindelo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 323%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $581 per month in Mindelo and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Mindelo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mindelo, where all-in costs run around $387, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Mindelo 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 $387 in Mindelo to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.