Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toamasina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $466 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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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Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $466 per month in Toamasina vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Toamasina $466
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $753 per month in Toamasina vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Toamasina $753
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Toamasina vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Toamasina $1,040
Medellin $3,186

Toamasina is about 72% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Toamasina sits 66% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 MGA 12.4K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-66.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.39 MGA 70.6K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-67.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.35 MGA 20.0K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-54.21%

Cappuccino

$1.13 MGA 5,188

$3.01 COP 9,485

-62.46%

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

$0.57 MGA 2,620

$1.80 COP 5,660

-68.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 MGA 5,228

$3.18 COP 9,990

-64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MGA 4,938

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-81.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 MGA 4,897

$1.51 COP 4,751

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MGA 5,194

$2.38 COP 7,480

-52.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 MGA 4,662

$1.77 COP 5,573

-42.37%

Eggs

$1.82 MGA 8,368

$2.89 COP 9,093

-37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 MGA 58.0K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 MGA 36.1K

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.27 MGA 28.8K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-55.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 MGA 6,974

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-61.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 MGA 6,235

$1.55 COP 4,883

-12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 MGA 7,201

$2.18 COP 6,867

-27.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 MGA 2,885

$2.18 COP 6,870

-71.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 MGA 2,807

$1.96 COP 6,174

-68.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MGA 2,530

$1.59 COP 5,000

-65.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,586

$1.15 COP 3,604

-69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MGA 2,107

$1.24 COP 3,911

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 MGA 7,807

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-57.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MGA 3,811

$1.66 COP 5,221

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MGA 5,099

$2.26 COP 7,103

-50.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 MGA 1,446

$1.17 COP 3,674

-72.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MGA 5,204

$1.35 COP 4,237

-16.30%

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)

$30.75 MGA 141.0K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

126.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 MGA 302.7K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

135.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.32 MGA 102.4K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-48.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 MGA 30.4K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-4.05%

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)

$8.88 MGA 40.8K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-89.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.79 MGA 31.2K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-88.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.2 MGA 248.8K

$135 COP 424.6K

-59.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.55 MGA 167.7K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-62.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 MGA 610.3K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-88.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.8 MGA 251.2K

$642 COP 2.0M

-91.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 MGA 2.0M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 MGA 602.9K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-87.01%

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)

$134 MGA 614.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

-79.63%

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 Toamasina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Toamasina

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Toamasina 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 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Toamasina versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $297 – making Toamasina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

8 h behind Toamasina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,857

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,587 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,107 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 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 MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Toamasina Medellin 13,920 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Toamasina
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

Toamasina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 252%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $698 per month in Toamasina 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 Toamasina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Toamasina and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Toamasina, where all-in costs run around $466, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Toamasina 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 $466 in Toamasina to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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