Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
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Butare Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $369 in Butare versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Butare $369
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $589 in Butare versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Butare $589
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $809 in Butare versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Butare $809
Medellin $3,186

Living in Butare costs roughly 78% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butare is 73% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 RWF 4,025

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-66.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-35.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-28.21%

Cappuccino

$2.39 RWF 3,522

$3.01 COP 9,485

-20.60%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,189

$1.80 COP 5,660

-55.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 807

$1.41 COP 4,443

-60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 RWF 1,544

$3.18 COP 9,990

-66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RWF 3,461

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.33 RWF 481

$1.51 COP 4,751

-78.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$2.38 COP 7,480

-65.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 RWF 1,460

$1.77 COP 5,573

-44.07%

Eggs

$1.60 RWF 2,358

$2.89 COP 9,093

-44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.64 RWF 2,413

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-83.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 RWF 3,565

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-75.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.02 RWF 4,450

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-78.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 RWF 2,943

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-49.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 RWF 1,126

$1.55 COP 4,883

-50.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 RWF 1,739

$2.18 COP 6,867

-45.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 RWF 1,226

$2.18 COP 6,870

-61.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 RWF 622

$1.96 COP 6,174

-78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 RWF 380

$1.59 COP 5,000

-83.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.14 RWF 206

$1.15 COP 3,604

-87.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 RWF 1,253

$1.24 COP 3,911

-31.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,936

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-49.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-26.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$1.66 COP 5,221

-40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RWF 2,299

$2.26 COP 7,103

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 RWF 3,950

$1.27 COP 3,989

111.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,951

$2.05 COP 6,442

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 RWF 5,024

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-60.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RWF 2,700

$1.35 COP 4,237

36.30%

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

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-24.84%

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

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-15.87%

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

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

$170 COP 533.7K

-51.30%

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

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-48.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-24.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,859

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-52.24%

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

$112 RWF 165.5K

$797 COP 2.5M

-85.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

4.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-79.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-73.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

$135 COP 424.6K

-83.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-65.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

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)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

10.94

48.08%

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

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butare

$112 30.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 164% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butare

$111 30%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 90.8% $101

Eating Out

Butare

$86 23.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 96.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Butare

$40 10.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 322% $129

Getting Around

Butare

$13 * 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 636% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 770% $51

Accommodation & Living

Butare

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Butare vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $297 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Butare

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

7 h behind Butare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,823

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 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 RWF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butare Medellin 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Butare
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

Butare vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $553 in Butare and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 164% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $369 per month in Butare versus $1,639 in Medellin – Butare is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $369 in Butare versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Butare 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.