Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mbeya

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $426 in Mbeya, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Mbeya $426

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $656 in Mbeya, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Mbeya $656

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $887 in Mbeya, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Mbeya $887

Medellin costs about 281% more than Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Mbeya is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

106.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

18.92%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.52 TZS 3,989

100.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.37 TZS 958

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.37 TZS 964

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.72 TZS 1,882

350.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.55 TZS 1,435

172.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.93 TZS 2,430

154.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.92 TZS 2,414

84.78%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.32 TZS 6,067

27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$3.80 TZS 9,949

168.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.72 TZS 9,734

161.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$3.30 TZS 8,643

321.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.15 TZS 3,003

259.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.78 TZS 2,051

96.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.99 TZS 2,581

124.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.73 TZS 1,917

210.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.97 TZS 2,538

105.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.78 TZS 2,053

114.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.56 TZS 1,465

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.72 TZS 1,883

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.14 TZS 2,998

239.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$3.72 TZS 9,744

270.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.78 TZS 2,045

112.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.16 TZS 3,038

106.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.40 TZS 1,036

210.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.10 TZS 2,891

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.85 TZS 4,834

16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.61 TZS 6,831

220.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.22 TZS 3,204

10.66%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

603.76%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

-27.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

-36.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

19.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

-26.63%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$191 TZS 500.6K

313.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

701.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

668.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

530.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

628.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

278.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$114 TZS 297.4K

805.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

711.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$187 TZS 491.0K

903.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$112 TZS 292.3K

802.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$191 TZS 501.5K

246.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-15.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 87.7% $543

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Mbeya

$115 26.9% 61.5% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 57.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Mbeya

$30 7% 82.8% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3% 71.8% $123

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 87.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Mbeya

$57 13.3% 3.8% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $114 in Mbeya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 246% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Mbeya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $115 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

541,603

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mbeya 12,200 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 281%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $639 in Mbeya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbeya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $426 in Mbeya. That's a gap of about 281%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $191 in Mbeya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Mbeya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbeya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbeya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.