Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Thika

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $516 in Thika, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Thika $516

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $880 in Thika, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Thika $880

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,245 in Thika, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Thika $1,245

Medellin costs about 228% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Thika is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$3.42 KES 444

143.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$33.96 KES 4,410

37.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.26 KES 813

51.28%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.93 KES 251

62.18%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.30 KES 38.66

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.63 KES 81.6

125.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.96 KES 255

60.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.15 KES 279

165.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$0.73 KES 95.3

109.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.44 KES 57.6

420.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.20 KES 155

61.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.41 KES 183

117.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$10.96 KES 1,423

-8.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$6.73 KES 873

55.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$3.94 KES 511

254.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.58 KES 206

156.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$0.61 KES 79.2

150.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$0.74 KES 96.6

183.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.15 KES 149

99.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.37 KES 47.84

470.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.45 KES 58.4

280.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.69 KES 89.4

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.39 KES 50.8

305.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.79 KES 363

40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$5.72 KES 742

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.78 KES 231

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.97 KES 256

37.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.52 KES 198

19.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.96 KES 125

121.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.93 KES 380

177.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.41 KES 184

-9.22%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$19.3K KES 2.5M

78.04%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$21.5K KES 2.8M

58.96%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$34.90 KES 4,532

409.26%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$14.86 KES 1,930

-6.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$34.82 KES 4,521

-11.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$45.48 KES 5,906

-7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.47 KES 970

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$54.0 KES 7,005

1364.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$3,528 KES 458.2K

248.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$28.24 KES 3,666

205.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$29.33 KES 3,808

102.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$69.2 KES 8,991

99.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$19.51 KES 2,533

406.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$99.5 KES 12.9K

1247.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$56.8 KES 7,380

1073.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$270 KES 35.0K

632.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$178 KES 23.1K

479.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$611 KES 79.3K

570.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Thika

$57 11% 91.5% $610

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Thika

$154 30% 49.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Thika

$85 16.4% 62% $138

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Thika

$87 16.9% 49.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Thika

$66 12.8% 61.8% $106

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Thika

$6.3 * 1.2% 93.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Thika

$60 11.7% 6.2% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $100 in Thika. 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 $34 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $155 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

83,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Thika 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 228%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $773 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $100 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Thika. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $516, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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