Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kailua, HI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,158 in Kailua, HI, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

199

Cost of Living Index in Kailua, HI
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Kailua, HI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kailua, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,158

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,158 in Kailua, HI versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Kailua, HI $4,158
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,091 in Kailua, HI versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Kailua, HI $6,091
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,024 in Kailua, HI versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Kailua, HI $8,024
Medellin $3,186

Living in Kailua, HI is roughly 154% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kailua, HI 205% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.99 $27.99

$8.09 COP 25.4K

245.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$139 $139

$47.05 COP 148.0K

195.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$9.50 COP 29.9K

22.95%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$3.01 COP 9,485

113.95%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.80 COP 5,660

67.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.41 COP 4,443

68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.40 $9.40

$3.18 COP 9,990

195.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 $9.23

$5.75 COP 18.1K

60.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.51 COP 4,751

43.05%

White Bread (500g)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.38 COP 7,480

218.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.77 COP 5,573

349.15%

Eggs

$8.24 $8.24

$2.89 COP 9,093

185.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.19 COP 32.1K

84.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.04 $16.04

$9.87 COP 31.1K

62.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.78 $21.78

$13.99 COP 44.0K

55.68%

Apples (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.97 COP 12.5K

96.47%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.55 COP 4,883

178.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$2.18 COP 6,867

224.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$2.18 COP 6,870

330.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.96 COP 6,174

84.69%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.59 COP 5,000

205.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.15 COP 3,604

292.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.24 COP 3,911

156.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$3.96 COP 12.5K

230.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$13.68 COP 43.0K

22.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.66 COP 5,221

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.26 COP 7,103

-6.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.17 COP 3,674

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$77.4 COP 243.4K

17.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.27 COP 3,989

183.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.05 COP 6,442

26.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.45 $44.45

$8.55 COP 26.9K

419.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.35 COP 4,237

-6.67%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

2.72%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.27%

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

$249 $249

$170 COP 533.7K

46.83%

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

$50.1 $50.1

$13.55 COP 42.6K

269.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.07 COP 88.3K

138.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$43.70 COP 137.5K

62.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.13 $40.13

$17.19 COP 54.1K

133.45%

Cinema Ticket

$18.73 $18.73

$6.91 COP 21.7K

171.06%

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

$2,109 $2,109

$797 COP 2.5M

164.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K $26.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

194.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-26.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 $47.57

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$135 COP 424.6K

-23.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$97.9 COP 307.9K

32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,725 $2,725

$1,208 COP 3.8M

125.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 $2,351

$642 COP 2.0M

266.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,306 $4,306

$2,028 COP 6.4M

112.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,733 $3,733

$1,012 COP 3.2M

268.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K $12.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

195.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,638 $9,638

$1,910 COP 6.0M

404.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,764 $4,764

$657 COP 2.1M

624.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

10.94

-38.76%

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

Last update for Kailua, HI: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kailua, HI

$2.4K 56.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 72.7% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Kailua, HI

$632 15.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 53% $335

Eating Out

Kailua, HI

$423 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 59.9% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kailua, HI

$366 8.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 42.3% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Kailua, HI

$154 3.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 9.7% $15

Getting Around

Kailua, HI

$123 3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 24.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Kailua, HI

$108 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 46.9% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,725 in Kailua, HI and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kailua, HI pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $139 in Kailua, HI vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $632 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kailua, HI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

5 h ahead of Kailua, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,975

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Kailua, HI Medellin 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kailua, HI
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

Kailua, HI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kailua, HI is about 7.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,725 in Kailua, HI versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 15% less than in Kailua, HI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,109 in Kailua, HI versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $4,158 in Kailua, HI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Kailua, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Kailua, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.