Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $747 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bulawayo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $747 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Bulawayo $747

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,194 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Bulawayo $1,194

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,642 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bulawayo $1,642

Medellin costs about 120% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Bulawayo is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.37 ZWL 116

85.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$29.90 ZWL 795

57.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.10 ZWL 136

86.27%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.14 ZWL 56.8

40.65%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.52 ZWL 13.79

246.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.36 ZWL 9.59

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.46 ZWL 38.92

117.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

191.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.98 ZWL 26.05

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.86 ZWL 49.36

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.42 ZWL 250

8.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.82 ZWL 102

158.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$4.60 ZWL 122

204.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.80 ZWL 47.79

120.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.55 ZWL 41.15

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.40 ZWL 63.8

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.04 ZWL 27.65

109.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.26 ZWL 33.50

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.44 ZWL 38.16

10.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.10 ZWL 29.27

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.77 ZWL 20.45

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.51 ZWL 40.16

162.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.02 ZWL 133

172.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.36 ZWL 36.09

22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.83 ZWL 48.67

23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.72 ZWL 19.06

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$29.51 ZWL 784

162.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

-58.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.03 ZWL 134

69.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.69 ZWL 44.95

-20.12%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.1K ZWL 667.3K

35.64%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$25.4K ZWL 674.8K

36.51%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$93.0 ZWL 2,472

82.34%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.52 ZWL 466

-22.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$107 ZWL 2,831

-73.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.99 ZWL 823

41.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$20.38 ZWL 542

-15.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.09 ZWL 268

-31.52%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$228 ZWL 6,051

249.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,484 ZWL 92.6K

161.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$20.95 ZWL 557

304.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$11.80 ZWL 314

391.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$46.98 ZWL 1,248

187.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$57.8 ZWL 1,536

69.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$172 ZWL 4,573

601.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$106 ZWL 2,803

508.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$406 ZWL 10.8K

399.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$323 ZWL 8,574

213.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,061 ZWL 54.8K

102.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,031 ZWL 54.0K

-5.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$303 ZWL 8,056

116.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-27.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bulawayo

$106 14.1% 83.6% $536

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bulawayo

$175 23.4% 41.1% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bulawayo

$217 29.1% 2.8% $5.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bulawayo

$91 12.2% 46.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bulawayo

$62 8.3% 63.4% $107

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bulawayo

$45 6.1% 51.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bulawayo

$51 6.9% 11.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $172 in Bulawayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $175 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

653,337

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.58 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Bulawayo 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,120 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $747 in Bulawayo. That’s a gap of about 120%.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bulawayo. 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.