Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mutare

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $789 in Mutare, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Mutare $789

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,220 in Mutare, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Mutare $1,220

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,651 in Mutare, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Mutare $1,651

Medellin costs about 105% more than Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Mutare is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.15 ZWL 270

-21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

2.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.42 ZWL 118

114.93%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

142.97%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

150.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

208.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

18.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

140.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

26.32%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

52.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

248.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.04 ZWL 107

135.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$5.01 ZWL 133

180.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

99.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

135.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

10.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

65.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

135.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

26.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

238.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.09 ZWL 162

119.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$26.46 ZWL 704

189.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

-56.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

8.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.94 ZWL 131

71.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

-30.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

29.50%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

49.75%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

239.36%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.72 ZWL 392

-9.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

-51.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

13.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$5.05 ZWL 134

237.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.89 ZWL 263

-36.50%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$150 ZWL 4,002

412.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

5.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$10.06 ZWL 268

758.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$9.48 ZWL 252

502.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$24.80 ZWL 660

450.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$20.27 ZWL 539

383.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$356 ZWL 9,462

196.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$253 ZWL 6,742

143.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$750 ZWL 19.9K

152.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$395 ZWL 10.5K

158.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$246 ZWL 6,539

1551.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$247 ZWL 6,566

164.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.69

-20.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Mutare

$253 32.1% 58.9% $362

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Mutare

$155 19.6% 47.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Mutare

$125 15.8% 41.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Mutare

$29 3.7% 82.9% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Mutare

$124 15.8% 26.2% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Mutare

$42 5.4% 54.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Mutare

$60 7.6% 3.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $356 in Mutare. 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 164% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $45.00 in Mutare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $155 – making Mutare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

04:05 4:05 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

188,243

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Mutare 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,183 in Mutare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $45.00 in Mutare. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $789 in Mutare. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mutare, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Mutare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mutare – 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 Mutare. 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.