Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellville and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Bellville versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bellville $1,153
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,785 in Bellville versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bellville $1,785
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Bellville versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bellville $2,418
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bellville costs roughly 30% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bellville is 15% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 R 204

$8.09 COP 25.4K

51.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 R 404

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-48.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-36.00%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R 32.66

$3.01 COP 9,485

-34.88%

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

$1.36 R 22.63

$1.80 COP 5,660

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.41 COP 4,443

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 37.10

$3.18 COP 9,990

-29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.2

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-36.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.75

$1.51 COP 4,751

-9.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 21.00

$2.38 COP 7,480

-47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 R 36.75

$1.77 COP 5,573

24.86%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.9

$2.89 COP 9,093

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R 152

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-10.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 R 116

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-29.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 R 163

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.87

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-53.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.63

$1.55 COP 4,883

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.36

$2.18 COP 6,867

-19.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.53

$2.18 COP 6,870

-2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.30

$1.96 COP 6,174

-22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.59 COP 5,000

-5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R 21.85

$1.15 COP 3,604

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.17

$1.24 COP 3,911

-7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 62.2

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 R 104

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.58

$1.66 COP 5,221

-18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.70

$2.26 COP 7,103

-5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.85

$1.17 COP 3,674

27.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.67

$1.27 COP 3,989

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.70

$2.05 COP 6,442

-27.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 84.8

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-40.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.71

$1.35 COP 4,237

14.07%

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

$35.3K R 588.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

3.70%

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

$34.4K R 573.9K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-0.67%

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

$119 R 1,988

$170 COP 533.7K

-29.67%

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

$28.93 R 482

$13.55 COP 42.6K

113.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.84 R 664

$28.07 COP 88.3K

41.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 R 551

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-24.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-35.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 R 149

$6.91 COP 21.7K

29.09%

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

$266 R 4,439

$797 COP 2.5M

-66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 R 115.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-23.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 R 948

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-32.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 R 535

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-44.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,992

$135 COP 424.6K

-11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,784

$97.9 COP 307.9K

9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,553

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,038

$642 COP 2.0M

-43.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-64.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-26.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.6K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-78.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 R 11.4K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-64.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.94

0.27%

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

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellville

$362 31.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 77.1% $279

Groceries & Markets

Bellville

$228 19.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 30.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellville

$188 16.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 12.3% $23

Eating Out

Bellville

$168 14.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 1.1% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bellville

$142 12.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bellville

$51 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 13% $6.6

Getting Around

Bellville

$14 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 570% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Bellville and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Bellville vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $297 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bellville

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

09:08 9:08 AM

7 h behind Bellville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,507

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bellville Medellin 10,790 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellville
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

Bellville vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,729 in Bellville and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Bellville versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,153 per month in Bellville versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.