Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kaduna

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaduna: $310 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Kaduna, Nigeria
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Kaduna
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$310
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kaduna

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $310 in Kaduna, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Kaduna $310

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $546 in Kaduna, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Kaduna $546

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $782 in Kaduna, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Kaduna $782

Medellin costs about 445% more than Kaduna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Kaduna is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$1.10 ₦1,482
658.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$19.00 ₦25.5K
144.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$1.89 ₦2,543
401.06%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$3.27 ₦4,384
-4.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$0.21 ₦283
742.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$0.07 ₦88.9
1928.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$0.47 ₦630
570.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$0.77 ₦1,036
640.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$1.47 ₦1,969
4.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$0.45 ₦608
408.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$0.65 ₦878
198.46%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$1.26 ₦1,697
143.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$0.73 ₦975
1268.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$5.30 ₦7,116
97.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$1.77 ₦2,376
688.70%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.08 ₦2,793
94.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$1.09 ₦1,461
40.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$0.38 ₦513
452.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$0.58 ₦780
294.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$0.71 ₦958
197.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$0.74 ₦991
131.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$0.13 ₦177
800.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$0.12 ₦163
1216.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$2.01 ₦2,704
94.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$1.87 ₦2,512
650.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$1.23 ₦1,649
43.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$1.84 ₦2,475
47.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$0.61 ₦819
196.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$0.80 ₦1,074
166.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$1.90 ₦2,552
327.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$0.54 ₦719
137.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$26.5K ₦35.6M
29.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$36.1K ₦48.5M
-5.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$7.58 ₦10.2K
2244.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$3.69 ₦4,950
276.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$18.89 ₦25.4K
62.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$6.15 ₦8,256
21.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$44.89 ₦60.3K
1660.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$3,085 ₦4.1M
298.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$5.91 ₦7,938
1360.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$11.27 ₦15.1K
425.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$11.06 ₦14.9K
1150.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$11.27 ₦15.1K
776.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$129 ₦173.8K
935.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$85.3 ₦114.4K
682.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$427 ₦572.6K
363.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$225 ₦302.2K
358.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Kaduna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
22.5
-51.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kaduna: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Kaduna
$85 87.2% $582
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Kaduna
$101 67% $206
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Kaduna
$30 86.4% $192
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Kaduna
$59 66% $114
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Kaduna
$18 89.7% $154
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Kaduna
$4.6 * 95.1% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Kaduna
$12 * 78.4% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $129 in Kaduna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Kaduna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $101 – making Kaduna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇳🇬 Kaduna
🕒 Local time
07:31 7:31 AM
13:31 1:31 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
760,084
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,342 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,507 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Kaduna 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Kaduna

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 Kaduna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Kaduna?
Medellin costs about 445% more than Kaduna, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Kaduna?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $465 in Kaduna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Kaduna?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaduna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $129 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Kaduna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Kaduna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Kaduna?
Groceries cost about 203% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Medellin or in Kaduna?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kaduna, where all-in costs run around $310, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Kaduna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kaduna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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