Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $581 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$581

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $581 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Zanzibar $581
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $866 per month in Zanzibar vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Zanzibar $866
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,151 per month in Zanzibar vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,151
Medellin $3,190

Zanzibar is about 64% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 TZS 12.2K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-41.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.44 TZS 56.1K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-53.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 TZS 14.4K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-41.89%

Cappuccino

$2.15 TZS 5,632

$3.11 COP 9,866

-30.87%

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

$0.60 TZS 1,560

$1.83 COP 5,800

-67.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 TZS 807

$1.38 COP 4,360

-77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 TZS 5,005

$3.05 COP 9,672

-37.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TZS 6,900

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-52.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 TZS 5,377

$1.45 COP 4,600

41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 TZS 1,900

$2.36 COP 7,496

-69.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 TZS 2,181

$1.68 COP 5,328

-50.60%

Eggs

$2.70 TZS 7,065

$2.86 COP 9,077

-5.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 TZS 20.0K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-25.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 TZS 6,016

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-75.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.14 TZS 16.1K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-56.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 TZS 7,401

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-30.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 TZS 2,936

$1.50 COP 4,742

-25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 TZS 1,898

$2.17 COP 6,891

-66.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 TZS 1,564

$2.31 COP 7,310

-74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 TZS 2,434

$1.93 COP 6,113

-51.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 TZS 4,030

$1.64 COP 5,196

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 TZS 1,935

$1.13 COP 3,571

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 TZS 1,172

$1.25 COP 3,954

-64.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 TZS 5,643

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-46.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 TZS 24.6K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-29.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 TZS 3,893

$1.70 COP 5,384

-12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 TZS 3,433

$2.37 COP 7,525

-44.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 TZS 749

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.78 TZS 9,895

$1.32 COP 4,179

186.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 TZS 1,897

$2.14 COP 6,774

-66.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 TZS 6,768

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-69.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 TZS 3,210

$1.30 COP 4,114

-5.38%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$48.9K TZS 128.0M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

37.96%

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

$75.4 TZS 197.5K

$172 COP 545.6K

-56.19%

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

$11.30 TZS 29.6K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-15.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.16 TZS 128.7K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

71.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.18 TZS 76.4K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-35.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 TZS 25.3K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

54.14%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-84.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.26 TZS 45.2K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-69.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.13 TZS 39.6K

$137 COP 432.9K

-88.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.42 TZS 35.2K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-86.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 TZS 400.6K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-85.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.7 TZS 258.5K

$616 COP 2.0M

-83.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 TZS 519.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TZS 392.7K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-85.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.7K TZS 98.8M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

829.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K TZS 29.5M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

570.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$312 TZS 818.4K

$652 COP 2.1M

-52.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.59%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 79.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$136 23.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 57.6% $78

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$99 17%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 524% $517

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$98 16.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 71.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$49 8.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 19.1% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 542% $144

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.5 * 1.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 993% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $153 in Zanzibar versus $1,055 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 109% 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 $21.00 in Zanzibar versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $295 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

8 h behind Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

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).

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).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Medellin 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
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

Zanzibar vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $871 per month in Zanzibar and $2,421 in Medellin. 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 79% 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 $21.00 in Zanzibar and $46.00 in Medellin. 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 $581, than in Medellin at $1,614. 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.