Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Yaounde vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Yaounde $782
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,206 per month in Yaounde vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Yaounde $1,206
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Yaounde vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Yaounde $1,629
Medellin $3,190

Yaounde is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Yaounde sits 42% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-55.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-47.68%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$3.11 COP 9,866

-39.87%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$1.83 COP 5,800

-20.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$1.38 COP 4,360

-59.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$3.05 COP 9,672

-60.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-69.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$1.45 COP 4,600

149.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$2.36 COP 7,496

-56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.68 COP 5,328

-24.40%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$2.86 COP 9,077

-29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$10.19 COP 32.3K

36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-54.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$4.07 COP 12.9K

22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.50 COP 4,742

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$2.17 COP 6,891

-8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$2.31 COP 7,310

-41.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$1.93 COP 6,113

-15.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$1.64 COP 5,196

-15.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$1.13 COP 3,571

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$1.25 COP 3,954

-48.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-57.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-38.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.70 COP 5,384

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$2.37 COP 7,525

-18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$1.21 COP 3,827

-57.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-77.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$1.32 COP 4,179

-53.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$2.14 COP 6,774

-78.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$1.30 COP 4,114

12.31%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

16.35%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-40.14%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$172 COP 545.6K

-53.44%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

28.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

78.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-47.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-59.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$6.28 COP 19.9K

32.48%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$770 COP 2.4M

-20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-74.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-80.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-52.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$137 COP 432.9K

-81.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-86.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

$616 COP 2.0M

-70.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-78.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-79.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-78.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-64.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$652 COP 2.1M

-71.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.83%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 18.4% $46

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 236% $433

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 44.2% $66

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 104% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 202% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 42.8% $17

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 321% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in Yaounde 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 253% 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 $51.0 in Yaounde versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Yaounde vs $295 in Medellin – so Yaounde wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

6 h behind Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

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 XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yaounde Medellin 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
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

Yaounde vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Yaounde 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 Yaounde, 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 $51.0 in Yaounde and $46.00 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 $782 in Yaounde and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 106%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Yaounde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yaounde – 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 Yaounde. 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.