Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kigali and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $881 in Kigali versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Kigali $881
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,373 in Kigali versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Kigali $1,373
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,865 in Kigali versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Kigali $1,865
Medellin $3,186

Living in Kigali costs roughly 46% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kigali is 35% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 RWF 4,030

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-66.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RWF 45.6K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-34.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 RWF 10.1K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-27.47%

Cappuccino

$2.44 RWF 3,586

$3.01 COP 9,485

-18.94%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,170

$1.80 COP 5,660

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 RWF 857

$1.41 COP 4,443

-58.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 RWF 1,525

$3.18 COP 9,990

-67.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 RWF 3,555

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-57.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 RWF 1,255

$1.51 COP 4,751

-43.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 RWF 1,506

$2.38 COP 7,480

-57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 RWF 1,931

$1.77 COP 5,573

-25.99%

Eggs

$1.68 RWF 2,469

$2.89 COP 9,093

-41.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.11 RWF 6,046

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-59.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 RWF 6,804

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-53.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.43 RWF 6,523

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-68.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 RWF 3,569

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-38.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 RWF 1,132

$1.55 COP 4,883

-50.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RWF 2,284

$2.18 COP 6,867

-28.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 RWF 1,585

$2.18 COP 6,870

-50.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 702

$1.96 COP 6,174

-75.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RWF 1,040

$1.59 COP 5,000

-55.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RWF 971

$1.15 COP 3,604

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RWF 1,172

$1.24 COP 3,911

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 RWF 2,915

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-26.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 RWF 1,529

$1.66 COP 5,222

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RWF 2,265

$2.26 COP 7,104

-31.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 RWF 516

$1.17 COP 3,674

-70.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.84 RWF 38.0K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-66.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 RWF 4,059

$1.27 COP 3,989

117.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 RWF 2,915

$2.05 COP 6,442

-3.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 RWF 5,024

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-60.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RWF 2,770

$1.35 COP 4,237

39.26%

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

$26.3K RWF 38.7M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-22.76%

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

$29.9K RWF 44.0M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-13.73%

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

$83.6 RWF 123.0K

$170 COP 533.7K

-50.70%

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

$6.96 RWF 10.2K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-48.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 RWF 31.4K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-24.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.27 RWF 43.1K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-33.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.15 RWF 6,109

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$3.47 RWF 5,102

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-49.78%

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

$111 RWF 163.4K

$797 COP 2.5M

-86.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

4.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.52 RWF 25.8K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-79.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.25 RWF 22.4K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-73.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

$135 COP 424.6K

-83.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.75 RWF 49.6K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-65.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 RWF 988.3K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 RWF 610.0K

$642 COP 2.0M

-35.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 RWF 2.0M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-33.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 RWF 1.2M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-17.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,389 RWF 5.0M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-18.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,078 RWF 4.5M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

61.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 RWF 410.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

-57.52%

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 Kigali: 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

Kigali

$415 47.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 54.7% $227

Groceries & Markets

Kigali

$151 17.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 96.2% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kigali

$112 12.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 88.8% $99

Eating Out

Kigali

$87 9.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 94.1% $82

Getting Around

Kigali

$40 4.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 134% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Kigali

$40 4.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 324% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Kigali

$36 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 58.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Kigali and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Kigali vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $151 vs $297 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Kigali

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

7 h behind Kigali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,686 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 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 RWF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kigali Medellin 11,760 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kigali
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

Kigali vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Kigali. 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: $672 in Kigali versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $31 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kigali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Kigali 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 Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.