Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $517 per month in Malindi vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Malindi $517
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $803 per month in Malindi vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Malindi $803
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,090 per month in Malindi vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Malindi $1,090
Medellin $3,186

Malindi is about 68% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Malindi sits 62% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 KES 277

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-73.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.30 KES 3,284

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-46.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 KES 1,355

$9.50 COP 30.6K

9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.70 KES 351

$3.01 COP 9,722

-10.30%

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

$0.68 KES 88.5

$1.80 COP 5,801

-62.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$1.41 COP 4,554

-63.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 298

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-27.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 KES 419

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-43.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 KES 117

$1.51 COP 4,869

-40.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.3

$2.38 COP 7,667

-78.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$1.77 COP 5,712

-29.38%

Eggs

$1.83 KES 237

$2.89 COP 9,320

-36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 KES 1,480

$10.19 COP 32.9K

11.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 KES 647

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-49.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.89 KES 635

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-65.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 KES 269

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-47.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 KES 101

$1.55 COP 5,005

-49.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$2.18 COP 7,039

-19.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.7

$2.18 COP 7,041

-67.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$1.96 COP 6,328

-63.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.0

$1.59 COP 5,125

-59.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 KES 77.1

$1.15 COP 3,694

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 KES 58.8

$1.24 COP 4,009

-63.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 KES 540

$3.96 COP 12.8K

5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 KES 1,276

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-28.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 KES 261

$1.66 COP 5,352

21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 KES 384

$2.26 COP 7,281

30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 KES 408

$1.27 COP 4,089

147.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 KES 231

$2.05 COP 6,603

-13.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 KES 596

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-46.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 KES 178

$1.35 COP 4,343

1.48%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-64.63%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-65.38%

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

$76.0 KES 9,870

$170 COP 547.0K

-55.18%

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

$8.99 KES 1,166

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-33.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 KES 3,924

$28.07 COP 90.5K

7.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.62 KES 5,013

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-11.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 KES 2,002

$6.91 COP 22.3K

123.15%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$797 COP 2.6M

-89.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,381 KES 698.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-40.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.28 KES 1,723

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-84.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.38 KES 1,737

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-76.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.49 KES 3,049

$135 COP 435.2K

-82.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.81 KES 6,076

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 KES 49.2K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.83%

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

Last update for Malindi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$173 33.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 72.1% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$115 22.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 83.3% $96

Eating Out

Malindi

$104 20.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 63.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$69 13.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$44 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 287% $125

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 677% $82

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Malindi versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $297 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

8 h behind Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malindi Medellin 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
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

Malindi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 217% more than Malindi, 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 $775 per month in Malindi and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Malindi and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Malindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 $517 in Malindi to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.