Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $746 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$746

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $746 per month in Tema vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Tema $746
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,186 per month in Tema vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Tema $1,186
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,627 per month in Tema vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Tema $1,627
Medellin $3,186

Tema is about 55% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Tema sits 45% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.04 GHS 82.1

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-12.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.68 GHS 322

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-41.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

Cappuccino

$5.09 GHS 59.3

$3.01 COP 9,722

69.10%

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

$0.85 GHS 9.85

$1.80 COP 5,801

-52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.50

$1.41 COP 4,554

-78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 GHS 38.54

$3.18 COP 10.2K

4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 GHS 29.77

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-55.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 GHS 37.90

$1.51 COP 4,869

115.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 GHS 17.94

$2.38 COP 7,667

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 GHS 23.07

$1.77 COP 5,712

11.86%

Eggs

$2.37 GHS 27.61

$2.89 COP 9,320

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.27 GHS 49.70

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-58.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 GHS 37.02

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-67.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.43 GHS 39.94

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-75.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 GHS 30.60

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 GHS 24.57

$1.55 COP 5,005

36.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 GHS 25.59

$2.18 COP 7,039

0.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 GHS 40.58

$2.18 COP 7,041

59.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 GHS 38.93

$1.96 COP 6,328

70.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 GHS 32.06

$1.59 COP 5,125

72.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 GHS 5.18

$1.15 COP 3,694

-61.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 GHS 7.64

$1.24 COP 4,009

-46.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.32 GHS 15.35

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 GHS 101

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 GHS 25.22

$1.66 COP 5,352

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 GHS 35.43

$2.26 COP 7,281

34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 GHS 19.70

$1.17 COP 3,766

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.27 GHS 481

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-46.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 GHS 24.59

$1.27 COP 4,089

66.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.83

$2.05 COP 6,603

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 GHS 13.30

$1.35 COP 4,343

-15.56%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$76.6 GHS 892

$170 COP 547.0K

-54.88%

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

$14.89 GHS 173

$13.55 COP 43.7K

9.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.0 GHS 967

$28.07 COP 90.5K

195.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 GHS 270

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-46.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 GHS 102

$6.91 COP 22.3K

26.77%

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

$174 GHS 2,024

$797 COP 2.6M

-78.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,582 GHS 30.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-71.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.97 GHS 151

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-84.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.23 GHS 177

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-73.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.68 GHS 509

$135 COP 435.2K

-67.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.85 GHS 383

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-66.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$127 GHS 1,478

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-89.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.0 GHS 838

$642 COP 2.1M

-88.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 GHS 5,078

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-78.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 GHS 2,527

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-78.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,800 GHS 114.2K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

135.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,945 GHS 69.3K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

211.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,883

$657 COP 2.1M

-36.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

219.93%

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

Last update for Tema: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$174 23.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 21.1% $37

Eating Out

Tema

$144 * 19.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 18% $26

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$72 9.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 792% $570

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 79.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$47 6.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 259% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$41 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 41.3% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $127 in Tema 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 run about 57% 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 $28 in Tema versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $297 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

5 h behind Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tema Medellin 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,119 per month in Tema 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 Tema, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Tema 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 $746 in Tema and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Tema about 55% cheaper.

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