Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chingola and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chingola: $428 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chingola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$428

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Chingola versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Chingola $428
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $731 in Chingola versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Chingola $731
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Chingola versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Chingola $1,033
Medellin $3,199

Living in Chingola costs roughly 74% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chingola is 68% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 ZMW 304

$8.30 COP 26.3K

83.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.50 ZMW 507

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-45.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.33

$1.80 COP 5,707

-71.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZMW 7.29

$1.38 COP 4,382

-73.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.61 ZMW 12.20

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-81.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ZMW 24.41

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-77.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 35.04

$1.50 COP 4,760

17.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ZMW 23.79

$2.37 COP 7,508

-49.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ZMW 49.29

$1.70 COP 5,377

45.88%

Eggs

$1.84 ZMW 36.67

$2.96 COP 9,379

-37.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ZMW 102

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.53 ZMW 90.1

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-67.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ZMW 39.48

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-52.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ZMW 39.37

$1.53 COP 4,839

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.05

$2.22 COP 7,052

-9.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ZMW 39.49

$2.27 COP 7,194

-12.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 ZMW 60.2

$1.99 COP 6,311

52.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 30.68

$1.67 COP 5,285

-7.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ZMW 17.59

$1.24 COP 3,919

-29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZMW 30.63

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-60.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 ZMW 98.6

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-64.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ZMW 12.34

$1.66 COP 5,256

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ZMW 15.60

$2.40 COP 7,615

-67.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ZMW 11.61

$2.15 COP 6,803

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 ZMW 202

$8.37 COP 26.5K

21.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ZMW 26.68

$1.35 COP 4,288

-0.74%

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)

$49.29 ZMW 980

$167 COP 528.4K

-70.42%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.97 ZMW 198

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-77.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.29 ZMW 404

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-76.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ZMW 246

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-78.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ZMW 1,001

$139 COP 440.7K

-63.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ZMW 1,509

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.1K ZMW 300.9K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

789.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$112 ZMW 2,223

$663 COP 2.1M

-83.15%

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 Chingola: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chingola

–

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Groceries & Markets

Chingola

–

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chingola

–

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Chingola

–

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Eating Out

Chingola

–

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Getting Around

Chingola

–

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Chingola

–

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 493% 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: $26.00 in Chingola vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $298 per month, with Chingola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Chingola

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

7 h behind Chingola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,073

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 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 ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chingola Medellin 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chingola
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

Chingola vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chingola is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 280% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 493% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chingola – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $428 in Chingola versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chingola but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chingola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chingola is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Chingola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 280% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.