Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Beni Mellal

For one person, living is cheaper in Beni Mellal: $627 a month against $1,340 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Beni Mellal
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Beni Mellal Living Index

Jump to prices

Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Beni Mellal

🇲🇦 Morocco

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan and in Beni Mellal

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Popayan vs $627 in Beni Mellal, rent included.

Popayan $1,340
Beni Mellal $627

A couple spends around $2,023 per month in Popayan vs $985 in Beni Mellal, rent included.

Popayan $2,023
Beni Mellal $985

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Popayan vs $1,342 in Beni Mellal, rent included.

Popayan $2,706
Beni Mellal $1,342

Popayan costs about 114% more than Beni Mellal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Popayan and Beni Mellal are more affordable than the global median – Popayan 1% lower, Beni Mellal 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 COP 20.8K

$3.58 MAD 34.88

82.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.13 COP 143.1K

$25.65 MAD 250

75.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 COP 27.6K

$5.29 MAD 51.6

64.65%

Cappuccino

$2.80 COP 8,877

$1.20 MAD 11.73

133.33%

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

$1.20 COP 3,793

$0.54 MAD 5.25

122.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.35 MAD 3.43

191.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$2.53 MAD 24.70

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 COP 12.8K

$3.13 MAD 30.55

28.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,224

$0.90 MAD 8.77

83.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,898

$0.67 MAD 6.53

271.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,338

$1.96 MAD 19.13

-14.29%

Eggs

$3.13 COP 9,927

$1.65 MAD 16.13

89.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 COP 22.0K

$11.13 MAD 109

-37.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 COP 35.0K

$6.76 MAD 65.9

63.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 COP 32.9K

$10.48 MAD 102

-0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.1K

$1.20 MAD 11.70

190.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,209

$1.06 MAD 10.32

54.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,805

$0.66 MAD 6.41

177.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,031

$0.87 MAD 8.43

82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,232

$0.65 MAD 6.32

104.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$0.71 MAD 6.90

109.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$0.32 MAD 3.13

253.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 COP 3,183

$0.61 MAD 5.92

63.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$4.00 MAD 38.99

-4.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 COP 37.6K

$7.44 MAD 72.5

59.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,485

$2.69 MAD 26.24

-47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 COP 8,304

$2.66 MAD 25.96

-1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,332

$0.30 MAD 2.89

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.10 MAD 79.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,413

$0.70 MAD 6.79

144.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.79 MAD 7.66

187.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$2.52 MAD 24.59

267.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,091

$1.57 MAD 15.30

-17.83%

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

$25.7K COP 81.4M

$31.1K MAD 303.1K

-17.39%

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

$35.5K COP 112.5M

$30.8K MAD 300.4K

15.23%

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

$136 COP 431.3K

$37.03 MAD 361

267.38%

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

$11.34 COP 35.9K

$10.06 MAD 98.1

12.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 COP 84.9K

$26.02 MAD 254

2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 COP 109.1K

$20.49 MAD 200

67.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 MAD 150

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 COP 18.8K

$6.32 MAD 61.6

-6.49%

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

$539 COP 1.7M

$180 MAD 1,753

199.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,384 COP 23.4M

$9,519 MAD 92.8K

-22.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 COP 250.1K

$47.77 MAD 466

65.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 189.8K

$41.04 MAD 400

45.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 COP 414.9K

$77.4 MAD 755

69.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 363.3K

$66.0 MAD 643

73.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 COP 1.8M

$194 MAD 1,895

184.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 COP 1.6M

$128 MAD 1,243

302.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 COP 2.9M

$280 MAD 2,726

222.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 COP 2.8M

$193 MAD 1,884

352.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,101 COP 6.7M

$1,228 MAD 12.0K

71.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,896 COP 6.0M

$819 MAD 7,982

131.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$324 MAD 3,164

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

4.55

154.51%

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

Last update for Popayan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Beni Mellal: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$513 38.3%

Beni Mellal

$128 20.3% 75.1% $385

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$270 20.2%

Beni Mellal

$194 30.9% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$174 13%

Beni Mellal

$73 11.7% 58% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$173 12.9%

Beni Mellal

$104 16.7% 39.6% $68

Eating Out

Popayan

$146 10.9%

Beni Mellal

$81 13% 44.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$46 3.5%

Beni Mellal

$33 5.3% 28.3% $13

Getting Around

Popayan

$17 * 1.3%

Beni Mellal

$14 2.2% 19.4% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $554 in Popayan versus $194 in Beni Mellal. 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 $45.00 in Popayan versus $26.00 in Beni Mellal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $194 – making Beni Mellal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇲🇦 Beni Mellal

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

01:15 1:15 AM

6 h ahead of Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

192,676

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Popayan Beni Mellal 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
Beni Mellal

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

Popayan vs Beni Mellal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,340 in Popayan, $627 in Beni Mellal – roughly 114% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,009 per month in Popayan and $941 in Beni Mellal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beni Mellal, 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 $45.00 in Popayan and $26.00 in Beni Mellal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Popayan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Beni Mellal, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Popayan at $1,340. In Beni Mellal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Popayan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Beni Mellal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Popayan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.