Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bindura

For one person, living is cheaper in Bindura: $596 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Bindura, Zimbabwe
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Bindura
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$596
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bindura

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 Bindura actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $596 in Bindura.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Bindura $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $990 in Bindura.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Bindura $990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,383 in Bindura.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Bindura $1,383

Living in Medellin is roughly 175% more expensive than in Bindura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bindura is 56% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$10.14 ZWL 269
-20.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$45.19 ZWL 1,201
4.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$5.85 ZWL 155
62.39%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$3.07 ZWL 81.6
-1.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.91 ZWL 24.28
97.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.49 ZWL 13.05
187.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$1.24 ZWL 32.93
156.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$2.02 ZWL 53.8
184.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.50 ZWL 39.75
0.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$0.97 ZWL 25.89
145.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$1.65 ZWL 43.91
7.27%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$1.96 ZWL 52.0
47.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$11.48 ZWL 305
-11.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$5.54 ZWL 147
78.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$6.56 ZWL 174
113.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.96 ZWL 78.7
34.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.66 ZWL 44.09
-6.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$2.00 ZWL 53.3
9.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$1.59 ZWL 42.28
37.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$1.69 ZWL 44.98
15.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.72 ZWL 45.74
-7.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$1.23 ZWL 32.67
-6.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.94 ZWL 25.10
31.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$2.04 ZWL 54.2
94.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$8.24 ZWL 219
66.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$1.33 ZWL 35.31
24.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$1.89 ZWL 50.2
19.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
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)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$3.99 ZWL 106
-68.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$2.02 ZWL 53.8
1.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$4.85 ZWL 129
76.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$1.85 ZWL 49.19
-27.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$22.2K ZWL 591.1K
53.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$27.9K ZWL 741.3K
24.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$52.2 ZWL 1,386
225.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$21.20 ZWL 563
-36.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$68.4 ZWL 1,817
-58.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$9.92 ZWL 264
-30.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$428 ZWL 11.4K
86.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$8,447 ZWL 224.4K
7.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$23.39 ZWL 622
262.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$21.09 ZWL 560
174.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$38.96 ZWL 1,035
246.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$39.95 ZWL 1,062
144.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$203 ZWL 5,397
494.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-
-
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Bindura
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
13.69
-20.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bindura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Bindura
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Bindura
$213 28.2% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Bindura
$142 32.9% $70
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Bindura
$151 10.7% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Bindura
$56 67.1% $113
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Bindura
$14 * 84.9% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Bindura
$20 * 65.5% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $203 in Bindura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $45 in Bindura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $213 per month, with Bindura cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇿🇼 Bindura
🕒 Local time
05:43 5:43 AM
12:43 12:43 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
40,233
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.67 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Bindura 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Bindura

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 Bindura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Bindura?
Bindura wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bindura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Bindura?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $894 in Bindura to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Bindura?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $203 in Bindura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Bindura?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Bindura?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $596 in Bindura – Bindura is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Bindura?
At $596 in Bindura versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Bindura but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bindura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Bindura?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?