Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zanzibar

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $579 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Zanzibar $579

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $864 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Zanzibar $864

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,148 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Zanzibar $1,148

Medellin costs about 181% more than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zanzibar is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

76.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

112.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

65.30%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.20 TZS 5,769

38.64%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.58 TZS 1,520

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.30 TZS 776

360.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.86 TZS 4,879

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.58 TZS 6,764

115.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.11 TZS 5,521

-28.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.71 TZS 1,859

233.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.79 TZS 2,058

115.19%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.71 TZS 7,092

9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

34.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.21 TZS 5,776

340.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

136.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.78 TZS 7,271

48.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.15 TZS 3,001

33.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.78 TZS 2,050

184.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.55 TZS 1,428

312.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.90 TZS 2,351

121.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.55 TZS 4,063

7.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.76 TZS 2,003

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.49 TZS 1,274

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.08 TZS 5,445

86.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.50 TZS 3,921

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.35 TZS 3,536

77.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.31 TZS 825

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.69 TZS 9,672

-65.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.73 TZS 1,920

194.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.66 TZS 6,964

214.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.21 TZS 3,180

11.57%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

-29.10%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

124.26%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

-39.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

56.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

-24.73%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

569.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

244.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

823.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

657.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$147 TZS 385.1K

599.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$100 TZS 262.1K

519.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$198 TZS 518.2K

850.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$148 TZS 388.8K

578.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

-89.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-85.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$312 TZS 816.7K

112.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Zanzibar

$100 17.3% 83.8% $519

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Zanzibar

$164 28.3% 44.9% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Zanzibar

$134 23.2% 36% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 84.9% $147

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Zanzibar

$99 17.1% 42.2% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5% 90.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Zanzibar

$47 8.2% 19.9% $12

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 $147 in Zanzibar. 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 113% 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 $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $164 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

14:39 2:39 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

709,809

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Zanzibar 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Zanzibar

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 Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 181%, 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 $869 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 82% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zanzibar – 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 Zanzibar. 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.