Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kauai, Hawaii and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,632 in Kauai, Hawaii, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Kauai, Hawaii
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Kauai, Hawaii Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kauai, Hawaii

🇺🇸 United States

$2,632

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,632 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Kauai, Hawaii $2,632
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,862 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Kauai, Hawaii $3,862
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,093 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Kauai, Hawaii $5,093
Medellin $3,249

Living in Kauai, Hawaii is roughly 56% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kauai, Hawaii 95% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 $19.26

$8.34 COP 26.9K

130.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$46.53 COP 150.3K

61.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$9.47 COP 30.6K

14.36%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.13 COP 10.1K

62.94%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.77 COP 5,704

46.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.42 COP 4,600

42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.15 COP 10.2K

91.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.70 COP 18.4K

19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.53 COP 4,949

-31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.29 COP 7,399

55.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.94 COP 6,281

118.56%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.07 COP 9,902

32.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$9.99 COP 32.3K

20.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$10.45 COP 33.7K

8.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 $15.13

$13.96 COP 45.1K

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$4.05 COP 13.1K

17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.53 COP 4,936

1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.10 COP 6,795

98.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.29 COP 7,407

106.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.11 COP 6,812

36.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.71 COP 5,519

69.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.17 COP 3,779

71.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.58 COP 5,102

38.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.38 $9.38

$3.91 COP 12.6K

139.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$14.04 COP 45.4K

1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.76 COP 5,689

1.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.71 COP 8,758

22.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.18 COP 3,810

65.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-22.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.81 COP 5,835

87.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.13 COP 6,876

-25.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.03 $29.03

$8.13 COP 26.3K

257.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.28 COP 4,118

-35.16%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-13.22%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-24.47%

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

$188 $188

$178 COP 573.9K

5.51%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$13.89 COP 44.8K

286.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$30.74 COP 99.3K

120.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.48 $43.48

$41.94 COP 135.4K

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$13.77 $13.77

$7.47 COP 24.1K

84.34%

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

$1,309 $1,309

$790 COP 2.6M

65.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

94.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.34 $40.34

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 $86.7

$138 COP 446.7K

-37.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$98.8 COP 319.1K

15.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,341 COP 4.3M

21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$667 COP 2.2M

102.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 $2,605

$1,976 COP 6.4M

31.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 $2,254

$1,033 COP 3.3M

118.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,722 $2,722

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-33.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,447 $2,447

$1,940 COP 6.3M

26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for Kauai, Hawaii: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kauai, Hawaii

$1.3K 51.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 50.5% $681

Groceries & Markets

Kauai, Hawaii

$384 14.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 19.9% $76

Eating Out

Kauai, Hawaii

$310 11.8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 44.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kauai, Hawaii

$309 11.7%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 28.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Kauai, Hawaii

$131 5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 31.1% $41

Getting Around

Kauai, Hawaii

$78 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 19.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kauai, Hawaii

$71 2.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Kauai, Hawaii and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Kauai, Hawaii vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kauai, Hawaii

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

5 h ahead of Kauai, Hawaii

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,610

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Kauai, Hawaii Medellin 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kauai, Hawaii
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

Kauai, Hawaii vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,947 in Kauai, Hawaii and $2,538 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kauai, Hawaii runs roughly 22% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,309 in Kauai, Hawaii versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,632 in Kauai, Hawaii, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Kauai, Hawaii. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.