Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $606 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Nanyuki
🇰🇪 Kenya
$606
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nanyuki

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $606 in Nanyuki, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Nanyuki $606

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,014 in Nanyuki, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Nanyuki $1,014

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,422 in Nanyuki, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Nanyuki $1,422

Medellin costs about 166% more than Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nanyuki is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$6.47 KES 838
22.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$34.36 KES 4,455
34.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$6.46 KES 838
47.06%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$2.65 KES 343
17.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$0.67 KES 86.3
173.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$0.57 KES 73.5
142.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$2.25 KES 291
35.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$2.64 KES 342
108.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$0.92 KES 119
57.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$0.56 KES 72.9
321.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$1.13 KES 147
48.67%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$1.70 KES 221
68.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$10.69 KES 1,386
-4.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$6.40 KES 830
48.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$6.17 KES 800
127.55%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$3.27 KES 423
24.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$1.09 KES 141
37.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$1.95 KES 253
11.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$1.11 KES 143
108.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$1.12 KES 145
72.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$1.04 KES 135
57.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$0.74 KES 95.4
52.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$0.75 KES 96.8
66.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$3.51 KES 455
13.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$11.59 KES 1,502
15.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$2.22 KES 288
-23.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$2.81 KES 365
-15.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$1.57 KES 204
-15.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$1.57 KES 204
36.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$2.98 KES 386
184.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$1.59 KES 206
-18.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$21.9K KES 2.8M
27.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$20.5K KES 2.7M
72.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$56.2 KES 7,288
206.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$14.87 KES 1,927
-10.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$34.63 KES 4,489
-17.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$7.54 KES 977
-16.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$253 KES 32.8K
204.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$12.1K KES 1.6M
-25.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$27.78 KES 3,601
211.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$29.61 KES 3,838
92.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$70.9 KES 9,186
92.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$58.9 KES 7,630
66.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$78.2 KES 10.1K
1250.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$64.9 KES 8,408
849.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$233 KES 30.2K
712.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$192 KES 24.9K
433.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Nanyuki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$116 KES 15.1K
460.70%
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 12, 2026

Last update for Nanyuki: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Nanyuki
$65 89.5% $551
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Nanyuki
$202 31.4% $92
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Nanyuki
$106 50.6% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Nanyuki
$84 50.5% $86
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Nanyuki
$124 26.2% $44
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Nanyuki
$9.4 * 89.9% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Nanyuki
$15 * 73.9% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $78.2 in Nanyuki. 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 461% 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 $34.00 in Nanyuki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $202 – making Nanyuki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇰🇪 Nanyuki
🕒 Local time
03:18 3:18 AM
11:18 11:18 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
32,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Nanyuki 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nanyuki cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $909 in Nanyuki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyuki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Nanyuki?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $34.00 in Nanyuki. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Nanyuki?
Groceries cost about 46% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Nanyuki?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyuki, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Nanyuki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Nanyuki more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nanyuki – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nanyuki. 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.

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