Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
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Butare Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Butare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $369 in Butare.

Medellin $1,639
Butare $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $589 in Butare.

Medellin $2,413
Butare $589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $809 in Butare.

Medellin $3,186
Butare $809

Living in Medellin is roughly 344% more expensive than in Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Butare is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.74 RWF 4,025

195.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

54.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

39.30%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.39 RWF 3,522

25.94%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.81 RWF 1,189

122.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.55 RWF 807

156.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.05 RWF 1,544

202.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.35 RWF 3,461

144.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.33 RWF 482

357.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.83 RWF 1,214

186.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.99 RWF 1,460

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.60 RWF 2,359

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$1.64 RWF 2,413

521.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$2.42 RWF 3,565

307.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$3.02 RWF 4,450

363.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.00 RWF 2,944

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.77 RWF 1,126

101.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.18 RWF 1,740

84.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.83 RWF 1,226

162.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.42 RWF 622

366.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.26 RWF 380

511.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.14 RWF 206

721.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.85 RWF 1,253

45.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.00 RWF 2,937

98.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

35.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.98 RWF 1,445

69.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.56 RWF 2,299

44.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.69 RWF 3,951

-52.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$2.01 RWF 2,951

1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$3.42 RWF 5,024

150.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.84 RWF 2,700

-26.63%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

33.05%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

18.87%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

105.34%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

92.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

33.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$3.30 RWF 4,859

109.39%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$112 RWF 165.5K

608.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

-4.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

383.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

275.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

510.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

188.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.2

-32.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Butare

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Butare

$112 30.5% 62.2% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Butare

$111 30% 47.6% $101

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Butare

$86 23.4% 49% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Butare

$40 10.9% 76.3% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Butare

$13 * 3.5% 86.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8% 88.5% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Butare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $112 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇼 Butare

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

03:02 3:02 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

62,823

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Butare 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $553 in Butare 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 164% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $369 in Butare – Butare is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $369 in Butare versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.