Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byumba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $411 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
Learn more

Byumba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$411

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $411 per month in Byumba vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Byumba $411
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $661 per month in Byumba vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Byumba $661
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $911 per month in Byumba vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Byumba $911
Medellin $3,190

Byumba is about 75% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Byumba sits 70% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.79 RWF 4,098

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-64.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.03 RWF 45.6K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-32.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 RWF 10.2K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-27.16%

Cappuccino

$2.40 RWF 3,529

$3.11 COP 9,866

-22.83%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,172

$1.83 COP 5,800

-56.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 RWF 844

$1.38 COP 4,360

-58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 RWF 1,471

$3.05 COP 9,672

-67.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RWF 3,381

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-58.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 RWF 1,194

$1.45 COP 4,600

-44.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RWF 1,525

$2.36 COP 7,496

-55.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RWF 1,941

$1.68 COP 5,328

-21.43%

Eggs

$1.58 RWF 2,327

$2.86 COP 9,077

-44.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.25 RWF 6,253

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-58.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 RWF 6,945

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-50.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 RWF 6,696

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-67.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 RWF 3,469

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-42.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 RWF 1,195

$1.50 COP 4,742

-46.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RWF 2,184

$2.17 COP 6,891

-31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 RWF 1,516

$2.31 COP 7,310

-55.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 701

$1.93 COP 6,113

-75.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RWF 1,053

$1.64 COP 5,196

-56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RWF 969

$1.13 COP 3,571

-41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$1.25 COP 3,954

-33.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 RWF 2,969

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-49.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 RWF 15.1K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,441

$1.70 COP 5,384

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RWF 2,254

$2.37 COP 7,525

-35.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,103

$1.32 COP 4,179

111.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 RWF 3,044

$2.14 COP 6,774

-3.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 RWF 5,117

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-58.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RWF 2,792

$1.30 COP 4,114

46.15%

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

$26.6K RWF 39.1M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-4.99%

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

$30.0K RWF 44.0M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-15.40%

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

$84.7 RWF 124.6K

$172 COP 545.6K

-50.76%

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

$7.16 RWF 10.5K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-46.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.68 RWF 30.4K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-28.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,855

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-47.45%

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

$113 RWF 166.3K

$770 COP 2.4M

-85.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,444 RWF 13.9M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

4.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 RWF 25.8K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-79.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.63 RWF 23.0K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-72.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.27 RWF 32.7K

$137 COP 432.9K

-83.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.25 RWF 50.4K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-65.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 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 Byumba: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Byumba

$152 36.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 94.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byumba

$113 27.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 90.2% $102

Eating Out

Byumba

$87 21.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 93.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Byumba

$40 9.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 321% $130

Getting Around

Byumba

$13 * 3.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 610% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Byumba

$6.6 * 1.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 776% $51

Accommodation & Living

Byumba

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $295 – making Byumba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Byumba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

7 h behind Byumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,134

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 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 RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Byumba Medellin 11,760 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Byumba
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

Byumba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 292% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $617 per month in Byumba and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 94% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $411 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Byumba. 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.