Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Medellin

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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ndola and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ndola and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Ndola $719
Medellin $1,625

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

Ndola $1,721
Medellin $2,412

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

Ndola $2,723
Medellin $3,199

Ndola is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 ZMW 111

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-32.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ZMW 597

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-36.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-45.89%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

$3.05 COP 9,676

-9.51%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

$1.80 COP 5,707

-71.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

$1.38 COP 4,382

-82.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-62.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-60.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

$1.50 COP 4,760

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

$2.37 COP 7,508

-50.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

$1.70 COP 5,377

25.29%

Eggs

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

$2.96 COP 9,379

-47.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ZMW 202

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ZMW 123

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-36.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ZMW 133

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-51.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-64.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

$1.53 COP 4,839

57.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

$2.22 COP 7,052

68.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

$2.27 COP 7,194

-32.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

$1.99 COP 6,311

27.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

$1.67 COP 5,285

7.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

$1.18 COP 3,742

-6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

$1.24 COP 3,919

-53.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-20.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 ZMW 196

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-28.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

$1.66 COP 5,256

-12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

$2.40 COP 7,615

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

$1.24 COP 3,944

-41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

$1.28 COP 4,044

100.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

$2.15 COP 6,803

-28.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZMW 100

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-39.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

$1.35 COP 4,288

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

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-78.73%

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

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-22.49%

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

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

$167 COP 528.4K

-51.85%

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

$10.45 ZMW 208

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-23.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

$29.12 COP 92.3K

89.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ZMW 120

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-13.34%

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

$135 ZMW 2,692

$790 COP 2.5M

-82.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

80.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.64 ZMW 470

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-73.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.39 ZMW 306

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-73.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 ZMW 909

$139 COP 440.7K

-67.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,526

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-82.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZMW 2,948

$620 COP 2.0M

-76.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ZMW 7,365

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-80.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

47.04%

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)

$596 ZMW 11.9K

$663 COP 2.1M

-10.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

165.08%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$223 31.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 33.3% $74

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$148 20.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 318% $471

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$146 20.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 43.5% $63

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 60.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 146% $102

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 627% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 389% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $177 in Ndola versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 $30.00 in Ndola versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $298 – making Ndola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

7 h behind Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

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).

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).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ndola Medellin 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
Medellin

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

Ndola vs Medellin: 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 $1,079 per month in Ndola and $2,437 in Medellin. 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 $30.00 in Ndola and $47.00 in Medellin. 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.