Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,182 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Windhoek
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Windhoek Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Windhoek

🇳🇦 Namibia

$1,182

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Windhoek vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Windhoek $1,182
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,028 per month in Windhoek vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Windhoek $2,028
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,875 per month in Windhoek vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Windhoek $2,875
Medellin $3,186

Windhoek is about 28% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Windhoek sits 13% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.47 NAD 192

$8.09 COP 26.1K

41.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 NAD 1,075

$47.05 COP 151.7K

36.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 NAD 101

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-36.32%

Cappuccino

$2.28 NAD 38.08

$3.01 COP 9,722

-24.25%

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

$0.86 NAD 14.41

$1.80 COP 5,801

-52.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 NAD 15.42

$1.41 COP 4,554

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 NAD 32.13

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NAD 34.88

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-63.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 NAD 26.30

$1.51 COP 4,869

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 NAD 14.73

$2.38 COP 7,667

-63.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NAD 32.67

$1.77 COP 5,712

10.73%

Eggs

$3.14 NAD 52.4

$2.89 COP 9,320

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 NAD 158

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-7.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 NAD 115

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-30.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 NAD 128

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-45.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 NAD 35.79

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-46.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NAD 33.05

$1.55 COP 5,005

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 NAD 29.88

$2.18 COP 7,039

-17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 NAD 33.18

$2.18 COP 7,041

-8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 NAD 32.38

$1.96 COP 6,328

-1.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 NAD 30.01

$1.59 COP 5,125

13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 NAD 32.77

$1.15 COP 3,694

70.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NAD 17.80

$1.24 COP 4,009

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 NAD 56.0

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-15.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 NAD 108

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NAD 23.91

$1.66 COP 5,352

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 NAD 23.12

$2.26 COP 7,281

-38.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 NAD 13.30

$1.17 COP 3,766

-31.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.86 NAD 816

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-36.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 NAD 12.58

$1.27 COP 4,089

-40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 NAD 15.72

$2.05 COP 6,603

-54.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.38 NAD 257

$8.55 COP 27.6K

79.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 NAD 23.37

$1.35 COP 4,343

3.70%

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

$24.6K NAD 410.1K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-27.92%

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

$31.7K NAD 529.0K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-8.64%

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

$138 NAD 2,313

$170 COP 547.0K

-18.38%

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

$26.65 NAD 445

$13.55 COP 43.7K

96.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.49 NAD 827

$28.07 COP 90.5K

76.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.77 NAD 614

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-15.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.40 NAD 174

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-39.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 NAD 88.3

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-23.44%

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

$210 NAD 3,515

$797 COP 2.6M

-73.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,340 NAD 89.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-41.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 NAD 905

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-36.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.80 NAD 581

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-39.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 NAD 1,476

$135 COP 435.2K

-34.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 NAD 1,577

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 NAD 8,382

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-58.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 NAD 5,985

$642 COP 2.1M

-44.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 NAD 24.3K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-28.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 NAD 16.3K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-3.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,617 NAD 27.0K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-61.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 NAD 10.2K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-68.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 NAD 16.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

51.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

10.94

4.39%

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

Last update for Windhoek: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Windhoek

$358 30.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 79% $283

Groceries & Markets

Windhoek

$223 18.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 33% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windhoek

$215 18.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 1.6% $3.3

Eating Out

Windhoek

$158 13.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 7.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Windhoek

$122 10.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 38.2% $47

Getting Around

Windhoek

$58 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 62.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Windhoek

$47 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 21.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $502 in Windhoek 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.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Windhoek, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Windhoek versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Windhoek vs $297 in Medellin – so Windhoek wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇦 Windhoek

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

7 h behind Windhoek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,500 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Namibian Dollar NAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NAD = 5.99 USD

100 NAD = 5.36 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NAD – Namibian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇦 Namibian Dollar ($)

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.7 NAD (100 NAD = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 NAD (100 NAD = 5.36 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Windhoek Medellin 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Windhoek
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

Windhoek vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,772 per month in Windhoek 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 Windhoek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $502 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Windhoek and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Windhoek and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Windhoek about 28% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,182 in Windhoek and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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