Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thika 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 Thika and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $518 per month in Thika vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Thika $518
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $883 per month in Thika vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Thika $883
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,248 per month in Thika vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Thika $1,248
Medellin $3,186

Thika is about 68% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thika sits 62% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-56.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,431

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-27.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 KES 819

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-33.58%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$3.01 COP 9,485

-34.55%

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

$0.32 KES 41.83

$1.80 COP 5,660

-82.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 87.2

$1.41 COP 4,443

-52.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 KES 246

$3.18 COP 9,990

-40.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 KES 273

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-63.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$1.51 COP 4,751

-50.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 58.2

$2.38 COP 7,480

-81.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.77 COP 5,573

-35.03%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 177

$2.89 COP 9,093

-52.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,426

$10.19 COP 32.1K

7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 KES 877

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-31.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 521

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-71.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 KES 196

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-61.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 KES 77.5

$1.55 COP 4,883

-61.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$2.18 COP 6,867

-64.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 148

$2.18 COP 6,870

-47.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 KES 47.22

$1.96 COP 6,174

-81.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.59 COP 5,000

-69.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.0

$1.15 COP 3,604

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.60

$1.24 COP 3,911

-70.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 KES 364

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-29.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 KES 743

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.66 COP 5,221

6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KES 253

$2.26 COP 7,103

-13.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.27 COP 3,989

19.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 KES 118

$2.05 COP 6,442

-55.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 KES 383

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-65.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 KES 177

$1.35 COP 4,237

0.74%

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

$19.0K KES 2.5M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-44.22%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-38.15%

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

$34.61 KES 4,494

$170 COP 533.7K

-79.60%

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

$15.36 KES 1,994

$13.55 COP 42.6K

13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 KES 4,477

$28.07 COP 88.3K

22.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.97 KES 6,100

$43.70 COP 137.5K

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 KES 997

$6.91 COP 21.7K

11.14%

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

$53.3 KES 6,921

$797 COP 2.5M

-93.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,489 KES 453.1K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-61.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.59 KES 3,713

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-66.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.22 KES 3,795

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-49.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,921

$135 COP 424.6K

-49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.35 KES 2,513

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 KES 13.2K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-91.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.9 KES 7,384

$642 COP 2.0M

-91.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 KES 34.8K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-86.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 KES 22.7K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-82.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$623 KES 80.9K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-85.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

10.94

34.46%

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

Last update for Thika: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$154 29.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 92.6% $143

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 91.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$84 16.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 150% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 157% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7.7% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 1028% $585

Getting Around

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1444% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Thika versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $34 in Thika versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $297 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

16:43 4:43 PM

8 h behind Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thika Medellin 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

Thika vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Thika and $2,459 in Medellin. 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 $101 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 93% 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 $518, than in Medellin at $1,639. 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.