Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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 Kafue
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Kafue Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kafue

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $564 in Kafue, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Kafue $564

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $902 in Kafue, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Kafue $902

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,239 in Kafue, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Kafue $1,239

Medellin costs about 200% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Kafue is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.37 ZMW 109

55.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$29.41 ZMW 596

58.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.04 ZMW 102

87.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.86 ZMW 57.9

9.44%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.72 ZMW 14.48

145.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.48 ZMW 9.70

195.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.22 ZMW 24.78

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.27 ZMW 45.89

151.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.68 ZMW 33.96

-8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.16 ZMW 23.56

97.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$2.01 ZMW 40.62

-3.48%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

58.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$10.19 ZMW 206

-1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.17 ZMW 125

69.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.62 ZMW 134

110.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

19.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$2.36 ZMW 47.84

-35.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.24 ZMW 65.6

-35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.54 ZMW 31.16

48.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.60 ZMW 52.7

-18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.77 ZMW 35.82

-3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.11 ZMW 22.41

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.71 ZMW 14.47

122.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.01 ZMW 61.0

29.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$9.92 ZMW 201

41.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.37 ZMW 27.82

28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.27 ZMW 45.99

19.38%

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

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.44 ZMW 29.07

47.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.01 ZMW 102

62.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.46 ZMW 29.61

-12.33%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$7,396 ZMW 149.8K

365.67%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$24.7K ZMW 500.5K

38.11%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$69.0 ZMW 1,397

157.69%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$10.75 ZMW 218

29.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$53.6 ZMW 1,085

-42.62%

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

$5.82 ZMW 118

28.35%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$145 ZMW 2,945

443.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$20.5K ZMW 414.8K

-39.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$24.90 ZMW 504

246.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$17.39 ZMW 352

240.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$44.90 ZMW 909

208.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$65.1 ZMW 1,319

51.69%

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 Kafue: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kafue

$233 41.3% 24.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kafue

$133 23.6% 40.1% $89

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kafue

$108 19.1% 37.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kafue

$69 12.2% 60.2% $104

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7% 89.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 79.5% $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 Kafue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $233 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

104,174

💱 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 = 4.41 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 = 3,615 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 = 22.67 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kafue 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $564 in Kafue – Kafue comes out roughly 67% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $846 in Kafue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $564 in Kafue. That makes Kafue about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $145 in Kafue. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Kafue 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 $564 in Kafue to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.