Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kabwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $556 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
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Kabwe Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kabwe

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $556 in Kabwe, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Kabwe $556

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $884 in Kabwe, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Kabwe $884

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,213 in Kabwe, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Kabwe $1,213

Medellin costs about 204% more than Kabwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Kabwe is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.44 ZMW 110

53.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$29.24 ZMW 592

59.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.83 ZMW 97.8

96.07%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.84 ZMW 57.4

10.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.75 ZMW 15.19

136.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.48 ZMW 9.64

195.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.21 ZMW 24.51

160.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.24 ZMW 45.36

154.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.74 ZMW 35.15

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.17 ZMW 23.62

95.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.99 ZMW 40.23

-2.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.19 ZMW 24.06

157.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$10.03 ZMW 203

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.30 ZMW 128

65.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.60 ZMW 134

111.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.37 ZMW 68.3

20.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.96 ZMW 19.45

59.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.30 ZMW 66.9

-36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.49 ZMW 30.20

53.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.47 ZMW 50.0

-14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.82 ZMW 36.75

-6.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.15 ZMW 23.35

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.78 ZMW 15.75

102.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.93 ZMW 59.4

33.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.13 ZMW 205

38.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.40 ZMW 28.34

25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.30 ZMW 46.49

17.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.54 ZMW 51.5

-28.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.44 ZMW 29.16

47.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$4.90 ZMW 99.2

65.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.37 ZMW 27.72

-6.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$7,496 ZMW 151.8K

359.41%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.1K ZMW 508.0K

36.05%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$70.7 ZMW 1,432

151.35%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$10.67 ZMW 216

30.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$53.9 ZMW 1,092

-42.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.00 ZMW 121

24.50%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$151 ZMW 3,048

424.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$20.0K ZMW 404.1K

-38.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$24.17 ZMW 489

257.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$17.13 ZMW 347

245.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$44.38 ZMW 899

211.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$66.0 ZMW 1,337

49.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-62.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kabwe: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kabwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kabwe

$223 40.2% 27.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kabwe

$135 24.3% 39.1% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kabwe

$108 19.3% 37.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kabwe

$68 12.3% 60.4% $104

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kabwe

$9.7 * 1.8% 89.6% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kabwe

$12 * 2.2% 78.9% $45

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 $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Kabwe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $223 – making Kabwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

117,517

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 20.25 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.94 USD). 1 EUR = 22.65 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kabwe 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kabwe

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 Kabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 204% more than Kabwe, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $834 in Kabwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Kabwe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kabwe, where all-in costs run around $556, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Kabwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $556 in Kabwe to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.