Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 56.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 55.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 54.7% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 54.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.77 RWF 2,586
$6.03 COP 22.8K
-70.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.66 RWF 30.1K
$33.17 COP 125.6K
-37.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 RWF 7,923
$7.29 COP 27.6K
-25.51%
Cappuccino
$1.71 RWF 2,491
$1.63 COP 6,170
4.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 RWF 857
$1.05 COP 3,971
-43.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 RWF 531
$0.77 COP 2,916
-53.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.71 RWF 1,033
$1.73 COP 6,550
-58.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 RWF 1,559
$3.18 COP 12.0K
-66.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.39 RWF 574
$1.07 COP 4,040
-63.55%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 RWF 1,437
$1.31 COP 4,965
-25.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 RWF 1,323
$1.38 COP 5,227
-34.06%
Eggs
$1.47 RWF 2,145
$2.25 COP 8,509
-34.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.29 RWF 3,344
$4.48 COP 17.0K
-48.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.97 RWF 4,337
$5.74 COP 21.7K
-48.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.68 RWF 3,913
$8.86 COP 33.6K
-69.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 RWF 3,294
$2.24 COP 8,490
0.89%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 RWF 1,297
$1.06 COP 4,012
-16.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 RWF 1,653
$1.51 COP 5,732
-25.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.79 RWF 1,156
$1.36 COP 5,151
-41.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 RWF 460
$1.12 COP 4,244
-71.43%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 RWF 682
$1.17 COP 4,427
-59.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 RWF 505
$0.90 COP 3,416
-61.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 RWF 843
$0.84 COP 3,169
-30.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.21 RWF 1,760
$2.26 COP 8,553
-46.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.85 RWF 9,992
$9.97 COP 37.8K
-31.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RWF 1,309
$1.18 COP 4,479
-23.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 RWF 2,066
$2.39 COP 9,048
-40.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 RWF 427
$0.86 COP 3,253
-66.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.97 RWF 14.6K
$41.45 COP 156.9K
-75.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.11 RWF 3,076
$1.47 COP 5,555
43.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 RWF 1,263
$1.95 COP 7,367
-55.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 RWF 5,619
$7.76 COP 29.4K
-50.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 RWF 1,130
$0.97 COP 3,663
-20.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.0K RWF 24.8M
$17.9K COP 68.0M
-5.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,586 RWF 12.5M
$26.7K COP 101.2M
-67.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.05 RWF 54.1K
$81.1 COP 307.1K
-54.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.83 RWF 12.9K
$9.40 COP 35.6K
-6.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.66 RWF 25.8K
$23.61 COP 89.4K
-25.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.01 RWF 38.0K
$25.55 COP 96.7K
1.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.56 RWF 8,116
$19.29 COP 73.0K
-71.18%
Cinema Ticket
$3.45 RWF 5,029
$4.10 COP 15.5K
-15.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$93.2 RWF 136.0K
$306 COP 1.2M
-69.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,372 RWF 2.0M
$5,899 COP 22.3M
-76.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.14 RWF 20.6K
$59.8 COP 226.5K
-76.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.66 RWF 28.7K
$31.96 COP 121.0K
-38.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$24.08 RWF 35.1K
$103 COP 388.8K
-76.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.51 RWF 46.0K
$108 COP 408.4K
-70.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 RWF 299.7K
$483 COP 1.8M
-57.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 203.7K
$377 COP 1.4M
-63.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 RWF 457.4K
$822 COP 3.1M
-61.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$236 RWF 343.9K
$721 COP 2.7M
-67.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,784 COP 10.5M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,320 COP 5.0M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$231 RWF 336.8K
$538 COP 2.0M
-57.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
13.43
20.63%

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

Last update for Butare: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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