Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $552 per month in Arusha vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Arusha $552
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $887 per month in Arusha vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Arusha $887
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Arusha vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Arusha $1,222
Medellin $3,199

Arusha is about 66% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-59.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-42.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-0.43%

Cappuccino

$1.66 TZS 4,356

$3.05 COP 9,676

-45.57%

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

$0.87 TZS 2,284

$1.80 COP 5,707

-51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 842

$1.38 COP 4,382

-76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 TZS 2,659

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TZS 7,351

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-49.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.50 COP 4,760

-34.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 TZS 1,773

$2.37 COP 7,508

-71.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,344

$1.70 COP 5,377

-2.35%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,552

$2.96 COP 9,379

-41.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 TZS 6,066

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-43.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,039

$2.27 COP 7,194

-65.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,284

$1.99 COP 6,311

-75.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,795

$1.67 COP 5,285

-35.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,046

$1.24 COP 3,919

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,927

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-61.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 TZS 2,563

$1.66 COP 5,256

-40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$2.40 COP 7,615

-62.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 496

$1.24 COP 3,944

-84.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 TZS 3,441

$1.35 COP 4,288

-2.96%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

$167 COP 528.4K

-83.23%

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

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-36.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

58.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

44.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-32.57%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-17.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 TZS 727.8K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-72.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 TZS 626.7K

$620 COP 2.0M

-61.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 TZS 1.3M

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-73.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 TZS 1.4M

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-48.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 Arusha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$239 43.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 159% $380

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 90.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$83 15%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 153% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 20.8% $16

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$65 * 11.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 356% $233

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 12425% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Medellin

$173 10.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Arusha versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 $27.00 in Arusha versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $65.0 vs $298 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

8 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Medellin 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

Arusha vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $552 in Arusha, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 194% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Arusha and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha and $47.00 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 $552 in Arusha and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 194%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Arusha 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 $552 in Arusha to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. 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.