Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,061 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,061 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,061
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,674 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,674
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,287 per month in Bloemfontein vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,287
Medellin $3,249

Bloemfontein is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bloemfontein sits 22% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.84 R 197

$8.34 COP 26.9K

41.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.31 R 688

$46.53 COP 150.2K

-11.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 R 117

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-26.08%

Cappuccino

$2.07 R 34.53

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-33.87%

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

$1.44 R 24.00

$1.77 COP 5,702

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.91

$1.42 COP 4,599

-24.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.94

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.98

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-51.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.14

$1.53 COP 4,948

-32.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.75

$2.29 COP 7,397

-53.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.34

$1.94 COP 6,279

9.28%

Eggs

$2.17 R 36.09

$3.07 COP 9,900

-29.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.67 R 128

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R 80.5

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-53.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 R 127

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-45.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.35

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-53.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.96

$1.53 COP 4,934

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.99

$2.10 COP 6,794

-17.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.08

$2.29 COP 7,405

-31.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.13

$2.11 COP 6,810

-25.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.80

$1.71 COP 5,518

8.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 18.16

$1.17 COP 3,778

-6.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 16.02

$1.58 COP 5,101

-39.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R 42.39

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-35.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.71 R 78.5

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-66.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.10

$1.76 COP 5,688

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.62

$2.71 COP 8,756

-49.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 R 15.18

$1.18 COP 3,809

-22.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.5 R 1,258

$76.3 COP 246.3K

-1.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.45

$1.81 COP 5,833

-38.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.28

$1.28 COP 4,117

14.06%

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

$36.3K R 605.0K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

5.43%

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

$29.4K R 490.1K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-13.83%

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

$76.6 R 1,277

$178 COP 573.8K

-56.90%

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

$33.40 R 557

$13.89 COP 44.8K

140.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.15 R 536

$30.74 COP 99.2K

4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.41 R 523

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-25.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 R 82.1

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-34.00%

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

$192 R 3,205

$790 COP 2.6M

-75.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 R 984

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-31.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 R 715

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 R 2,241

$138 COP 446.6K

-2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,846

$98.8 COP 319.0K

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 R 5,322

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-76.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 R 4,744

$667 COP 2.2M

-57.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R 8,579

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-73.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 R 8,945

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-48.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$477 R 7,952

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-88.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$622 R 10.4K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-67.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,325 R 22.1K

$646 COP 2.1M

105.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

10.94

10.88%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$285 26.8%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 134% $382

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$187 17.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 64.3% $120

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$169 15.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 2.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$156 14.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 10.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$142 13.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 56.4% $80

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$80 * 7.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 16.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 37.9% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $319 in Bloemfontein versus $1,341 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 in Bloemfontein are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $41 in Bloemfontein versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $307 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

08:48 8:48 AM

7 h behind Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bloemfontein Medellin 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Bloemfontein
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

Bloemfontein vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 60% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,591 per month in Bloemfontein and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Bloemfontein and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,061 in Bloemfontein and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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