Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kigali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $881 in Kigali.

Medellin $1,639
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,373 in Kigali.

Medellin $2,413
Kigali $1,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,865 in Kigali.

Medellin $3,186
Kigali $1,865

Living in Medellin is roughly 86% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kigali is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.74 RWF 4,030

195.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$30.98 RWF 45.6K

51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.89 RWF 10.1K

37.88%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.44 RWF 3,586

23.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.80 RWF 1,170

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.58 RWF 857

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.04 RWF 1,525

205.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.42 RWF 3,555

137.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.85 RWF 1,255

77.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.02 RWF 1,506

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.31 RWF 1,931

35.11%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.68 RWF 2,469

72.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.11 RWF 6,046

147.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.63 RWF 6,804

113.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$4.43 RWF 6,523

215.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.43 RWF 3,569

63.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.77 RWF 1,132

101.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.55 RWF 2,284

40.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.08 RWF 1,585

101.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.48 RWF 702

308.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.71 RWF 1,040

123.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.66 RWF 971

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.80 RWF 1,172

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.98 RWF 2,915

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.04 RWF 1,529

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.54 RWF 2,265

46.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.35 RWF 516

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$25.84 RWF 38.0K

199.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.76 RWF 4,059

-53.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.98 RWF 2,915

3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$3.41 RWF 5,024

150.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.88 RWF 2,770

-28.19%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$26.3K RWF 38.7M

29.46%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.9K RWF 44.0M

15.92%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$83.6 RWF 123.0K

102.86%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.96 RWF 10.2K

94.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$21.33 RWF 31.4K

31.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$29.27 RWF 43.1K

49.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$4.15 RWF 6,109

314.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$3.47 RWF 5,102

99.14%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$111 RWF 163.4K

617.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

-4.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$17.52 RWF 25.8K

383.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$15.25 RWF 22.4K

280.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

512.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$33.75 RWF 49.6K

189.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$672 RWF 988.3K

79.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$415 RWF 610.0K

54.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,358 RWF 2.0M

49.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$838 RWF 1.2M

20.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,389 RWF 5.0M

23.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,078 RWF 4.5M

-37.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$279 RWF 410.7K

135.40%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kigali

$415 47.1% 35.4% $227

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kigali

$151 17.2% 49% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kigali

$112 12.7% 47% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kigali

$87 9.9% 48.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 76.4% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 57.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kigali

$36 4.1% 37.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $672 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $31 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $151 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Kigali 11,760 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $672 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $31 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kigali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Kigali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.