Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kisumu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisumu: $643 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Kisumu
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Kisumu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kisumu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$643

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Kisumu vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Kisumu $643
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $972 per month in Kisumu vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Kisumu $972
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,302 per month in Kisumu vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Kisumu $1,302
Medellin $3,190

Kisumu is about 60% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Kisumu sits 52% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 KES 606

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-41.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.63 KES 3,193

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-46.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 KES 848

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-31.16%

Cappuccino

$2.63 KES 342

$3.11 COP 9,866

-15.43%

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

$0.67 KES 86.8

$1.83 COP 5,800

-63.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$1.38 COP 4,360

-59.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 KES 254

$3.05 COP 9,672

-35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 KES 353

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 KES 72.1

$1.45 COP 4,600

-61.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 KES 67.0

$2.36 COP 7,496

-77.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 KES 245

$1.68 COP 5,328

12.50%

Eggs

$1.64 KES 212

$2.86 COP 9,077

-42.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 KES 1,388

$10.19 COP 32.3K

5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 KES 814

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.06 KES 656

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-63.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 KES 437

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 KES 115

$1.50 COP 4,742

-40.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 KES 257

$2.17 COP 6,891

-8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 KES 144

$2.31 COP 7,310

-51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$1.93 COP 6,113

-44.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 KES 117

$1.64 COP 5,196

-45.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.4

$1.13 COP 3,571

-38.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 95.6

$1.25 COP 3,954

-40.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 KES 395

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 KES 1,024

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 KES 298

$1.70 COP 5,384

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 KES 306

$2.37 COP 7,525

-0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 KES 96.3

$1.21 COP 3,827

-38.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.05 KES 2,989

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-69.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$1.32 COP 4,179

18.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 KES 195

$2.14 COP 6,774

-29.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 KES 365

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-66.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.30 COP 4,114

24.62%

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

$21.5K KES 2.8M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-23.21%

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

$20.6K KES 2.7M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-41.91%

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

$54.9 KES 7,119

$172 COP 545.6K

-68.09%

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

$15.40 KES 1,997

$13.37 COP 42.4K

15.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.59 KES 4,614

$28.73 COP 91.1K

23.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.87 KES 2,965

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-49.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 KES 998

$6.28 COP 19.9K

22.61%

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

$115 KES 14.9K

$770 COP 2.4M

-85.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

35.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.41 KES 1,479

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-86.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.63 KES 2,545

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-65.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.49 KES 2,008

$137 COP 432.9K

-88.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.27 KES 1,979

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-84.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 KES 19.6K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-85.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 KES 18.0K

$616 COP 2.0M

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 KES 72.6K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 KES 27.4K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-79.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$765 KES 99.2K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-81.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$779 KES 101.0K

$652 COP 2.1M

19.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

10.94

34.46%

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

Last update for Kisumu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kisumu

$188 29.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 56.9% $107

Accommodation & Living

Kisumu

$139 21.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 343% $477

Eating Out

Kisumu

$109 16.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 54.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kisumu

$106 16.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 102% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Kisumu

$38 6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 51.1% $20

Getting Around

Kisumu

$35 5.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 166% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Kisumu

$28 4.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 512% $142

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $151 in Kisumu 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 19% higher in Kisumu, 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 $25.00 in Kisumu versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $295 – making Kisumu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kisumu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

23:38 11:38 PM

8 h behind Kisumu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,155,574

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kisumu Medellin 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kisumu
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

Kisumu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 151% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $964 per month in Kisumu 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 Kisumu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kisumu and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kisumu, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Kisumu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kisumu costs $643 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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