Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boksburg and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,222 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,222

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Boksburg versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Boksburg $1,222
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,891 in Boksburg versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Boksburg $1,891
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,560 in Boksburg versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Boksburg $2,560
Medellin $3,190

Living in Boksburg costs roughly 24% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boksburg is 9% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 R 200

$7.93 COP 25.2K

53.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.01 R 709

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-6.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 R 88.9

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-43.16%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.62

$3.11 COP 9,866

-26.69%

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

$1.13 R 18.66

$1.83 COP 5,800

-38.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.69

$1.38 COP 4,360

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.09

$3.05 COP 9,672

-26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.13

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-50.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.26

$1.45 COP 4,600

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 R 19.48

$2.36 COP 7,496

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.15

$1.68 COP 5,328

5.36%

Eggs

$2.73 R 44.99

$2.86 COP 9,077

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.89 R 146

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 87.6

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-44.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 R 146

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.01

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-55.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.74

$1.50 COP 4,742

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.72

$2.17 COP 6,891

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.43

$2.31 COP 7,310

-22.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.66

$1.93 COP 6,113

-12.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$1.64 COP 5,196

10.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.13 COP 3,571

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.06

$1.25 COP 3,954

7.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 55.6

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-15.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 R 99.4

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-54.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.14

$1.70 COP 5,384

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.20

$2.37 COP 7,525

-20.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.14

$1.32 COP 4,179

-76.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R 12.77

$2.14 COP 6,774

-63.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.54 R 240

$8.47 COP 26.8K

71.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.52

$1.30 COP 4,114

14.62%

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

$36.3K R 597.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

29.52%

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

$33.7K R 554.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-4.94%

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

$231 R 3,808

$172 COP 545.6K

34.31%

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

$38.32 R 631

$13.37 COP 42.4K

186.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.44 R 600

$28.73 COP 91.1K

26.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 R 466

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-37.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 R 131

$6.28 COP 19.9K

26.11%

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

$243 R 4,006

$770 COP 2.4M

-68.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 R 89.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-39.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-37.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.03 R 758

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-19.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R 1,721

$137 COP 432.9K

-23.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 R 1,741

$97.9 COP 310.4K

7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 R 5,287

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-69.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 R 5,793

$616 COP 2.0M

-42.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 R 11.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 R 12.6K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-25.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 R 14.4K

$652 COP 2.1M

33.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.94

-0.27%

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

Last update for Boksburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boksburg

$352 28.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 75.1% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boksburg

$306 25%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 30% $92

Groceries & Markets

Boksburg

$212 17.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 39.3% $83

Eating Out

Boksburg

$165 13.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 1.8% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Boksburg

$140 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 21.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Boksburg

$44 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 31.1% $14

Getting Around

Boksburg

$4.2 * 0.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 2127% $89

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 $321 in Boksburg and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boksburg pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Boksburg vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $295 per month, with Boksburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

7 h behind Boksburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boksburg Medellin 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Boksburg
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

Boksburg vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boksburg and Medellin differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $1,614 including rent). Boksburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Boksburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $321 in Boksburg versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Boksburg versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Boksburg versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boksburg but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Boksburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Boksburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.