Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Byumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $411 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
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Byumba Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Byumba

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $411 in Byumba, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Byumba $411

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $661 in Byumba, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Byumba $661

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $911 in Byumba, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Byumba $911

Medellin costs about 292% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Byumba is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.79 RWF 4,098

184.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$31.03 RWF 45.6K

48.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.92 RWF 10.2K

37.28%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.40 RWF 3,529

29.58%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.80 RWF 1,172

128.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.57 RWF 844

142.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.00 RWF 1,471

205.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.30 RWF 3,381

139.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.81 RWF 1,194

79.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.04 RWF 1,525

126.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.32 RWF 1,941

27.27%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.58 RWF 2,327

81.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.25 RWF 6,253

139.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.72 RWF 6,945

101.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$4.55 RWF 6,696

208.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.36 RWF 3,469

72.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.81 RWF 1,195

85.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.49 RWF 2,184

45.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.03 RWF 1,516

124.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.48 RWF 701

302.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.72 RWF 1,053

127.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.66 RWF 969

71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.83 RWF 1,214

50.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.02 RWF 2,969

97.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.25 RWF 15.1K

30.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.98 RWF 1,441

73.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.53 RWF 2,254

54.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.79 RWF 4,103

-52.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.07 RWF 3,044

3.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.48 RWF 5,117

143.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.90 RWF 2,792

-31.58%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$26.6K RWF 39.1M

5.26%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$30.0K RWF 44.0M

18.20%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$84.7 RWF 124.6K

103.08%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.16 RWF 10.5K

86.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$20.68 RWF 30.4K

38.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$3.30 RWF 4,855

90.30%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$113 RWF 166.3K

581.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$9,444 RWF 13.9M

-4.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$17.53 RWF 25.8K

392.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$15.63 RWF 23.0K

265.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$22.27 RWF 32.7K

513.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$34.25 RWF 50.4K

185.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 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 12, 2026

Last update for Byumba: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Byumba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Byumba

$152 36.9% 48.5% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Byumba

$113 27.4% 47.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Byumba

$40 9.8% 76.3% $130

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Byumba

$87 21.1% 48.4% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Byumba

$13 * 3.2% 85.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Byumba

$6.6 * 1.6% 88.6% $51

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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $31.00 in Byumba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $152 – making Byumba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇼 Byumba

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,134

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Byumba 11,760 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Byumba

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 Byumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 292% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $617 in Byumba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $31.00 in Byumba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 94% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $411 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Byumba. 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.