Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arusha

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Arusha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $552 in Arusha, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Arusha $552

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $887 in Arusha, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Arusha $887

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,222 in Arusha, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Arusha $1,222

Medellin costs about 194% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.33 TZS 8,723

149.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

75.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

0.43%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.66 TZS 4,356

83.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.87 TZS 2,284

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.32 TZS 842

331.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.02 TZS 2,659

217.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.81 TZS 7,351

97.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.98 TZS 2,578

53.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.68 TZS 1,773

248.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.66 TZS 4,344

2.41%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.74 TZS 4,552

70.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.32 TZS 6,066

78.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.78 TZS 2,039

191.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.49 TZS 1,284

306.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.07 TZS 2,795

56.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.78 TZS 2,046

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.50 TZS 3,927

158.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.98 TZS 2,563

69.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$0.91 TZS 2,387

163.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.19 TZS 496

552.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.31 TZS 3,441

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

496.46%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

58.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

-37.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

-30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

48.30%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

20.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$278 TZS 727.8K

269.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$239 TZS 626.7K

158.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$494 TZS 1.3M

280.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$524 TZS 1.4M

92.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Arusha

$239 43.3% 61.4% $380

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Arusha

$65 * 11.8% 78.1% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Arusha

$83 15% 60.5% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Arusha

$90 16.2% 47.5% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 99.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Arusha

$75 13.5% 26.3% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $278 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $65.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

01:06 1:06 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

617,631

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Arusha 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arusha

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

Medellin vs Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $552 in Arusha – roughly 194% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $829 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $552 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 194%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Arusha 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 $552 in Arusha to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. 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.