Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nakuru

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $642 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
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Nakuru Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nakuru

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $642 in Nakuru, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nakuru $642

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $994 in Nakuru, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nakuru $994

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,346 in Nakuru, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nakuru $1,346

Medellin costs about 155% more than Nakuru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nakuru is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.84 KES 498

110.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$34.80 KES 4,517

35.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.54 KES 848

45.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.94 KES 252

55.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.39 KES 50.7

361.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.24 KES 31.35

487.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.26 KES 294

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.62 KES 340

119.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$0.52 KES 67.4

190.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.44 KES 56.8

440.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.58 KES 205

12.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.53 KES 199

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.81 KES 1,404

-5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$6.44 KES 835

53.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$6.38 KES 828

119.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.36 KES 436

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.03 KES 133

50.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$2.07 KES 269

5.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.09 KES 142

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.15 KES 149

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.10 KES 143

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.71 KES 92.1

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.80 KES 103

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.40 KES 442

16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.38 KES 1,477

20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.22 KES 289

-25.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.71 KES 352

-16.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.51 KES 196

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.51 KES 196

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$2.94 KES 381

190.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.62 KES 210

-16.67%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.6K KES 2.5M

73.90%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$21.5K KES 2.8M

61.45%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$55.5 KES 7,204

205.68%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$15.37 KES 1,995

-11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$34.48 KES 4,476

-18.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.91 KES 1,026

-12.64%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$279 KES 36.2K

185.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-25.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$28.16 KES 3,656

200.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$28.49 KES 3,698

103.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$70.0 KES 9,081

92.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$58.0 KES 7,534

68.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$227 KES 29.5K

431.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$136 KES 17.7K

370.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$536 KES 69.5K

278.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$190 KES 24.7K

432.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.71

-25.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nakuru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nakuru

$136 21.2% 78.7% $505

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nakuru

$200 31.1% 32.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nakuru

$105 16.4% 50.1% $106

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nakuru

$93 14.4% 45.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nakuru

$83 12.9% 50.8% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nakuru

$9.1 * 1.4% 90.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5% 72.5% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $227 in Nakuru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $35 in Nakuru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $200 – making Nakuru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

05:13 5:13 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

307,990

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 144 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Nakuru 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nakuru

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 Nakuru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 155%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $963 in Nakuru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakuru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Nakuru. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nakuru, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Nakuru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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