Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinshasa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,723 in Kinshasa, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Kinshasa despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kinshasa
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Kinshasa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kinshasa

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,723

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kinshasa vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Kinshasa $1,723
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,035 per month in Kinshasa vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Kinshasa $3,035
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,347 per month in Kinshasa vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Kinshasa $4,347
Medellin $3,190

Kinshasa costs about 7% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kinshasa and Medellin sit above the global median – Kinshasa by 28%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 CDF 41.0K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

128.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 CDF 194.6K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

86.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 CDF 34.5K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

60.42%

Cappuccino

$6.49 CDF 14.7K

$3.11 COP 9,866

108.68%

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

$2.73 CDF 6,194

$1.83 COP 5,800

49.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CDF 4,662

$1.38 COP 4,360

49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 CDF 5,702

$3.05 COP 9,672

-17.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 CDF 10.3K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-17.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.31 CDF 7,491

$1.45 COP 4,600

128.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CDF 5,061

$2.36 COP 7,496

-5.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CDF 7,138

$1.68 COP 5,328

87.50%

Eggs

$3.99 CDF 9,049

$2.86 COP 9,077

39.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 CDF 21.7K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-5.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.80 CDF 38.1K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

76.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 CDF 28.0K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-12.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CDF 8,191

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 CDF 6,912

$1.50 COP 4,742

103.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 CDF 9,637

$2.17 COP 6,891

95.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CDF 9,432

$2.31 COP 7,310

80.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CDF 7,607

$1.93 COP 6,113

74.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 CDF 7,000

$1.64 COP 5,196

88.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CDF 4,741

$1.13 COP 3,571

84.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CDF 3,305

$1.25 COP 3,954

16.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 CDF 10.4K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

14.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.86 CDF 35.9K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 CDF 4,424

$1.70 COP 5,384

14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 CDF 9,709

$2.37 COP 7,525

81.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 CDF 1,079

$1.21 COP 3,827

-60.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.01 CDF 49.9K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-71.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 CDF 12.7K

$1.32 COP 4,179

325.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CDF 2,857

$2.14 COP 6,774

-41.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 CDF 11.5K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-40.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 CDF 4,028

$1.30 COP 4,114

36.92%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

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

$85.1 CDF 192.9K

$172 COP 545.6K

-50.53%

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

$27.99 CDF 63.4K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

109.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 CDF 158.4K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

143.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 CDF 176.3K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

71.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.96 CDF 49.8K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

28.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 CDF 34.3K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

140.92%

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

$562 CDF 1.3M

$770 COP 2.4M

-26.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CDF 24.2M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

18.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.71 CDF 101.3K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.01 CDF 86.1K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-33.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 CDF 252.5K

$137 COP 432.9K

-18.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CDF 283.2K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 CDF 3.8M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 CDF 1.2M

$616 COP 2.0M

-11.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,128 CDF 9.4M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

118.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 CDF 3.5M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

49.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,958 CDF 11.2M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

22.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,249 CDF 2.8M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-25.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$350 CDF 791.8K

$652 COP 2.1M

-46.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

27.97%

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

Last update for Kinshasa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kinshasa

$543 31.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 13.4% $73

Groceries & Markets

Kinshasa

$400 23.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 26.4% $106

Eating Out

Kinshasa

$309 18%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 45.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinshasa

$183 10.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 17% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kinshasa

$144 8.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 18.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kinshasa

$108 6.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 46.5% $50

Getting Around

Kinshasa

$36 2.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 160% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,696 in Kinshasa versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 87% higher in Medellin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Kinshasa versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Kinshasa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

6 h behind Kinshasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,032,322 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 CDF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kinshasa Medellin 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kinshasa
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

Kinshasa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kinshasa, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in Kinshasa and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Kinshasa and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Kinshasa and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Kinshasa at $1,723. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kinshasa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $1,723 in Kinshasa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kinshasa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.