Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blantyre and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Blantyre: $598 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Blantyre
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Blantyre Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Blantyre

🇲🇼 Malawi

$598

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $598 in Blantyre versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Blantyre $598
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Blantyre versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Blantyre $1,037
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,476 in Blantyre versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Blantyre $1,476
Medellin $3,190

Living in Blantyre costs roughly 63% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blantyre is 56% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 MWK 6,946

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-48.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.27 MWK 22.8K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-71.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 MWK 12.1K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-26.00%

Cappuccino

$2.73 MWK 4,688

$3.11 COP 9,866

-12.22%

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

$0.83 MWK 1,431

$1.83 COP 5,800

-54.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MWK 776

$1.38 COP 4,360

-67.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 MWK 1,885

$3.05 COP 9,672

-63.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MWK 2,938

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-68.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MWK 1,821

$1.45 COP 4,600

-26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 MWK 2,244

$2.36 COP 7,496

-44.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MWK 3,519

$1.68 COP 5,328

22.02%

Eggs

$1.75 MWK 3,006

$2.86 COP 9,077

-38.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.52 MWK 6,050

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-65.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.66 MWK 9,723

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-40.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 MWK 11.0K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-54.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 MWK 3,825

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-45.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 MWK 3,970

$1.50 COP 4,742

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MWK 4,103

$2.17 COP 6,891

10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 MWK 1,897

$2.31 COP 7,310

-52.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MWK 2,265

$1.93 COP 6,113

-31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MWK 2,338

$1.64 COP 5,196

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 MWK 571

$1.13 COP 3,571

-70.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MWK 1,426

$1.25 COP 3,954

-33.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 MWK 4,164

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-39.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 MWK 23.2K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MWK 1,634

$1.70 COP 5,384

-44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 MWK 2,720

$2.37 COP 7,525

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MWK 896

$1.21 COP 3,827

-57.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 MWK 1,038

$1.32 COP 4,179

-54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 MWK 2,671

$2.14 COP 6,774

-27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 MWK 6,807

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-53.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MWK 2,725

$1.30 COP 4,114

22.31%

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

$35.4K MWK 60.7M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

26.37%

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

$39.6K MWK 68.0M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

11.87%

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

$26.82 MWK 46.1K

$172 COP 545.6K

-84.42%

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

$7.99 MWK 13.7K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-40.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 MWK 101.5K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

30.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.74 MWK 25.3K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-13.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

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

$393 MWK 674.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

-48.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$585 MWK 1.0M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-93.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 MWK 74.2K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-49.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MWK 67.9K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.67 MWK 85.3K

$137 COP 432.9K

-63.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 MWK 118.4K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 MWK 398.0K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-78.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 MWK 193.8K

$616 COP 2.0M

-81.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MWK 1.0M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-68.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MWK 659.9K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-62.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$391 MWK 670.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-76.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$334 MWK 572.8K

$652 COP 2.1M

-48.86%

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 Blantyre: 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

Blantyre

$190 31.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 55.2% $105

Accommodation & Living

Blantyre

$113 18.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 446% $503

Eating Out

Blantyre

$100 16.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 68% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Blantyre

$91 15.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 87.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Blantyre

$59 * 9.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 2.2% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blantyre

$35 * 5.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 515% $179

Getting Around

Blantyre

$10 * 1.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 791% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $232 in Blantyre and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 96% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $13.00 in Blantyre vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $295 per month, with Blantyre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Blantyre

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

7 h behind Blantyre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

994,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,930 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.18 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 MWK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Blantyre Medellin 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Blantyre
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

Blantyre vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blantyre and Medellin differ by about 170% in total monthly costs ($598 vs $1,614 including rent). Blantyre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $232 in Blantyre versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $598 per month in Blantyre versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 170% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $598 in Blantyre versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Blantyre but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Blantyre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Blantyre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.