Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $719 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ndola

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $719 in Ndola, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Ndola $719

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,721 in Ndola, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Ndola $1,721

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,723 in Ndola, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Ndola $2,723

Medellin costs about 126% more than Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.58 ZMW 111

48.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$30.02 ZMW 597

56.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

84.80%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

10.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

246.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

475.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

165.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

151.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

100.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

-20.19%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

89.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.15 ZMW 202

0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.18 ZMW 123

57.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.71 ZMW 133

107.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

180.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

-36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

-40.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

47.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

-21.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

-7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.83 ZMW 196

40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

2.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

-50.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

40.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$5.03 ZMW 100

66.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

370.25%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

29.02%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

107.69%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.45 ZMW 208

30.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

-47.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.04 ZMW 120

15.40%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$135 ZMW 2,692

483.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

-44.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$23.64 ZMW 470

271.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$15.39 ZMW 306

277.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$45.69 ZMW 909

204.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

38.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$177 ZMW 3,526

480.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$148 ZMW 2,948

317.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$370 ZMW 7,365

407.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

-31.99%

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

$596 ZMW 11.9K

11.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-62.28%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Ndola

$148 20.6% 76.1% $471

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Ndola

$223 31.1% 25% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Ndola

$146 20.3% 30.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Ndola

$70 9.8% 59.3% $102

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Ndola

$106 14.8% 37.8% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 86.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 79.5% $47

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 $177 in Ndola. 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 11% 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 $30.00 in Ndola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $223 – making Ndola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

15:59 3:59 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

455,194

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Ndola 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,079 in Ndola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ndola, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $30.00 in Ndola. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ndola, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Ndola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ndola – 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 Ndola. 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.