Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,083
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,778 per month in Phnom Penh vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,778
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Phnom Penh vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,474
Medellin $3,186

Phnom Penh is about 34% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ៛18.5K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 ៛164.7K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-14.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ៛28.6K

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-26.21%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ៛11.6K

$3.01 COP 9,722

-5.65%

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

$1.72 ៛7,001

$1.80 COP 5,801

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,727

$1.41 COP 4,554

-52.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,187

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-67.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ៛12.4K

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-46.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ៛9,284

$1.51 COP 4,869

50.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ៛6,536

$2.38 COP 7,667

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,378

$1.77 COP 5,712

-39.55%

Eggs

$1.82 ៛7,428

$2.89 COP 9,320

-37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ៛59.9K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

44.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ៛18.1K

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-54.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 ៛39.2K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-31.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 ៛16.9K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

4.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,947

$1.55 COP 5,005

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ៛18.3K

$2.18 COP 7,039

105.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ៛8,218

$2.18 COP 7,041

-7.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ៛6,997

$1.96 COP 6,328

-12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ៛5,125

$1.59 COP 5,125

-20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ៛5,659

$1.15 COP 3,694

20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,146

$1.24 COP 4,009

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,933

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-50.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 ៛45.4K

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-18.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ៛4,122

$1.66 COP 5,352

-39.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,296

$2.26 COP 7,281

-20.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ៛1,560

$1.17 COP 3,766

-67.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 ៛40.3K

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-87.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,463

$1.27 COP 4,089

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,126

$2.05 COP 6,603

-50.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ៛20.4K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-41.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ៛5,553

$1.35 COP 4,343

0.74%

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

$34.8K ៛141.9M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

2.18%

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

$44.6K ៛181.9M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

28.76%

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

$118 ៛481.8K

$170 COP 547.0K

-30.31%

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

$7.32 ៛29.8K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-45.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 ៛102.9K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-10.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ៛154.6K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 ៛45.0K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-35.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.7K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-26.34%

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

$597 ៛2.4M

$797 COP 2.6M

-25.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.3M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

22.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.17 ៛114.8K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-66.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.25 ៛98.8K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-58.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 ៛367.4K

$135 COP 435.2K

-33.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 ៛236.6K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-40.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ៛1.7M

$642 COP 2.1M

-36.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 ៛5.9M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 ៛3.9M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-6.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ៛11.0M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-35.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ៛6.2M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-20.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 ៛1.3M

$657 COP 2.1M

-52.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

10.94

-27.42%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: 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

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 58% $235

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 15.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.1% $60

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 87.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 19.5% $9.4

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 432% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Phnom Penh versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $297 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

12 h behind Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Medellin 18,030 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
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

Phnom Penh vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,625 per month in Phnom Penh and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phnom Penh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $658 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Phnom Penh and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,083 in Phnom Penh and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Phnom Penh about 34% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,083, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Phnom Penh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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