Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Eldoret

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $505 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Eldoret

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $505 in Eldoret.

Medellin $1,614
Eldoret $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $869 in Eldoret.

Medellin $2,402
Eldoret $869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,233 in Eldoret.

Medellin $3,190
Eldoret $1,233

Living in Medellin is roughly 220% more expensive than in Eldoret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Eldoret is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$1.52 KES 198

421.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$34.76 KES 4,507

32.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.21 KES 805

52.98%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.59 KES 336

20.08%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.30 KES 38.85

510.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.41 KES 52.6

236.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.28 KES 296

33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.69 KES 348

104.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.72 KES 93.4

101.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.49 KES 63.9

381.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.56 KES 203

7.69%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.56 KES 203

83.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$3.79 KES 491

168.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.16 KES 539

129.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$4.34 KES 563

223.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.27 KES 295

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.10 KES 143

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.72 KES 93.6

201.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.92 KES 119

151.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.56 KES 72.9

244.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.45 KES 58.0

264.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.69 KES 89.7

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.63 KES 81.6

98.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.44 KES 447

15.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.70 KES 739

134.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.09 KES 271

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.53 KES 198

54.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.41 KES 183

-14.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.58 KES 204

-16.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.52 KES 198

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.97 KES 385

185.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.54 KES 199

-15.58%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.8K KES 2.8M

28.63%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$20.0K KES 2.6M

77.38%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$39.37 KES 5,105

337.11%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$15.13 KES 1,962

-11.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$35.19 KES 4,562

-18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$38.92 KES 5,045

16.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.54 KES 978

-16.71%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$63.5 KES 8,232

1112.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-26.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$11.52 KES 1,494

650.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$28.96 KES 3,754

97.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$19.43 KES 2,519

602.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$35.06 KES 4,545

179.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$93.2 KES 12.1K

1032.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$89.1 KES 11.5K

591.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$269 KES 34.8K

280.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$609 KES 78.9K

566.91%

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

14.71

-25.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Eldoret: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Eldoret

$89 17.6% 85.5% $527

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Eldoret

$133 26.4% 54.8% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Eldoret

$90 17.8% 58.1% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Eldoret

$43 8.5% 74.9% $127

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Eldoret

$81 16.1% 51.6% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9% 84.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Eldoret

$54 10.7% 6.6% $3.8

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 $1,055 in Medellin and $93.2 in Eldoret. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $35.00 in Eldoret for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $133 per month, with Eldoret cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

11:12 11:12 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

193,830

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Eldoret 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Eldoret

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 Eldoret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eldoret wins on cost – living expenses run 220% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Eldoret the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $757 in Eldoret 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $93.2 in Eldoret. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 121% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $505 in Eldoret – a 220% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $505 in Eldoret versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Eldoret but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Eldoret the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Eldoret delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $505 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Eldoret hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Eldoret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 220% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.