Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rabat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Rabat vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Rabat $1,928
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Rabat vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Rabat $2,701
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Rabat vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Rabat $3,474
Medellin $3,190

Rabat costs about 19% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rabat and Medellin sit above the global median – Rabat by 43%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$7.93 COP 25.2K

108.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 €44.82

$46.13 COP 146.3K

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.96

$9.50 COP 30.1K

17.79%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.11 COP 9,866

-27.65%

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

$2.48 €2.20

$1.83 COP 5,800

35.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.38 COP 4,360

22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$3.05 COP 9,672

9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-37.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.45 COP 4,600

-23.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.36 COP 7,496

-43.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.68 COP 5,328

34.52%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$2.86 COP 9,077

22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-21.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €7.00

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-17.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$4.07 COP 12.9K

1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.50 COP 4,742

45.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$2.17 COP 6,891

63.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.31 COP 7,310

-4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.93 COP 6,113

-40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.64 COP 5,196

-30.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.13 COP 3,571

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.25 COP 3,954

-12.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$3.99 COP 12.6K

70.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.70 COP 5,384

3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.37 COP 7,525

2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.21 COP 3,827

123.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$1.32 COP 4,179

334.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.14 COP 6,774

3.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.77 €23.81

$8.47 COP 26.8K

216.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.30 COP 4,114

16.15%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

34.87%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

9.04%

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

$101 €90.2

$172 COP 545.6K

-41.08%

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

$12.17 €10.82

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-8.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 €38.12

$28.73 COP 91.1K

49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$45.24 COP 143.5K

37.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 €19.73

$17.04 COP 54.0K

30.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.98

$6.28 COP 19.9K

60.67%

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

$369 €328

$770 COP 2.4M

-52.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

25.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.7

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 €24.55

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-51.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 €65.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-46.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-21.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €934

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$616 COP 2.0M

70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 €1,543

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-8.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,023 COP 3.2M

42.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 €3,910

$4,059 COP 12.9M

8.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$1,678 COP 5.3M

87.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 €1,173

$652 COP 2.1M

102.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

10.94

-73.49%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$1K 54.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 41.3% $433

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$261 13.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 13% $34

Eating Out

Rabat

$233 12.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 27.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$156 8.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 36.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$119 6.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 43% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$82 4.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 29.8% $24

Getting Around

Rabat

$28 * 1.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 238% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rabat versus $1,055 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 run about 102% higher in Rabat, 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 $50.0 in Rabat versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Rabat vs $295 in Medellin – so Rabat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Rabat

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

07:29 7:29 AM

7 h behind Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,497

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rabat Medellin 9,600 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
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

Rabat vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,892 per month in Rabat and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $50.0 in Rabat and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Rabat – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Rabat at $1,928. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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