Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $715 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $715 in Mombasa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Mombasa $715

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,138 in Mombasa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Mombasa $1,138

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,560 in Mombasa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Mombasa $1,560

Medellin costs about 129% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Mombasa is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.63 KES 342

207.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$24.66 KES 3,201

90.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.51 KES 1,364

-9.61%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.71 KES 351

11.07%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.74 KES 95.5

143.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.48 KES 62.3

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.33 KES 303

36.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.26 KES 423

76.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.92 KES 119

64.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.50 KES 64.3

376.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.57 KES 204

12.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.82 KES 236

58.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.98 KES 1,814

-27.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.89 KES 635

101.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.25 KES 682

166.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.16 KES 280

83.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.14 KES 148

35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.84 KES 239

18.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.71 KES 92.4

207.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.69 KES 88.9

184.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.02 KES 132

55.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.59 KES 77.0

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.42 KES 55.1

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.97 KES 515

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.51 KES 1,234

43.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.98 KES 257

-16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.94 KES 382

-23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.81 KES 105

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$38.41 KES 4,986

101.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.16 KES 410

-59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.70 KES 221

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.61 KES 598

85.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.53 KES 199

-11.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

179.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

192.07%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$76.8 KES 9,962

121.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$9.07 KES 1,177

49.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$34.36 KES 4,460

-18.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$17.66 KES 2,292

147.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$19.32 KES 2,508

-11.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.26 KES 1,980

-54.72%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$86.7 KES 11.3K

818.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,484 KES 711.9K

66.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$12.89 KES 1,673

557.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$13.50 KES 1,752

329.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$23.07 KES 2,995

485.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$46.74 KES 6,067

109.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$229 KES 29.7K

427.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$157 KES 20.4K

307.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$535 KES 69.4K

279.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$368 KES 47.7K

175.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,457 KES 708.4K

-23.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,881 KES 503.8K

-50.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$317 KES 41.1K

107.32%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mombasa

$157 22% 75.5% $484

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 37.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mombasa

$120 16.8% 43.1% $91

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 36.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mombasa

$43 6.1% 74.4% $126

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mombasa

$53 7.5% 43% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 16.3% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $229 in Mombasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.1 times higher, 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 in Medellin versus $25 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $185 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mombasa 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,073 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in Mombasa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $715 in Mombasa. That makes Mombasa about 56% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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