Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,065 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,065

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,065 in Harare versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Harare $1,065
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Harare versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Harare $1,788
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Harare versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Harare $2,512
Medellin $3,186

Living in Harare costs roughly 35% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harare is 22% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ZWL 263

$8.09 COP 25.4K

22.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 ZWL 1,198

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 ZWL 152

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-39.68%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

$3.01 COP 9,485

0.33%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.82

$1.80 COP 5,660

-48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ZWL 12.37

$1.41 COP 4,443

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ZWL 32.25

$3.18 COP 9,990

-61.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 53.9

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-64.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ZWL 41.10

$1.51 COP 4,751

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.87

$2.38 COP 7,480

-57.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.12

$1.77 COP 5,573

-3.95%

Eggs

$1.88 ZWL 49.92

$2.89 COP 9,093

-34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 ZWL 299

$10.19 COP 32.1K

10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 147

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-43.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 ZWL 180

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-51.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ZWL 43.94

$1.55 COP 4,883

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$2.18 COP 6,867

-8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.24

$2.18 COP 6,870

-30.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.17

$1.96 COP 6,174

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.44

$1.59 COP 5,000

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.51

$1.15 COP 3,604

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.07

$1.24 COP 3,911

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 ZWL 53.5

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-49.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 ZWL 217

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-40.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZWL 36.50

$1.66 COP 5,221

-17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ZWL 50.5

$2.26 COP 7,103

-15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.13

$1.17 COP 3,674

-16.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 ZWL 1,596

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 ZWL 108

$1.27 COP 3,989

219.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$2.05 COP 6,442

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-40.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 ZWL 47.12

$1.35 COP 4,237

31.11%

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

$22.2K ZWL 590.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-34.74%

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

$27.4K ZWL 729.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-20.85%

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

$50.4 ZWL 1,340

$170 COP 533.7K

-70.28%

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

$21.76 ZWL 578

$13.55 COP 42.6K

60.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 ZWL 1,801

$28.07 COP 88.3K

141.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 ZWL 1,275

$43.70 COP 137.5K

9.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ZWL 604

$17.19 COP 54.1K

32.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ZWL 269

$6.91 COP 21.7K

46.45%

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

$412 ZWL 10.9K

$797 COP 2.5M

-48.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,493 ZWL 225.6K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-6.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.42 ZWL 622

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-72.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.83 ZWL 553

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-64.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.19 ZWL 1,015

$135 COP 424.6K

-71.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.76 ZWL 1,083

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-58.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 ZWL 10.6K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-67.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ZWL 9,605

$642 COP 2.0M

-43.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 ZWL 26.5K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-50.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 ZWL 23.6K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-12.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 ZWL 24.4K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-78.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$389 ZWL 10.3K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-79.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 ZWL 11.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

-36.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

10.94

25.14%

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

Last update for Harare: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$362 34%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 77.5% $280

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$214 20.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 38.8% $83

Eating Out

Harare

$148 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 14.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$140 13.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 50.9% $71

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 20.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 15.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$55 5.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 205% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $399 in Harare and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Harare vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $297 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

7 h behind Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.58 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.38 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 ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Harare Medellin 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
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

Harare vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Harare. 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: $399 in Harare versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Harare versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,065 in Harare versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Harare 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 Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.