Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 16.7% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 27.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 17.5% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 30.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 R 196
$6.23 COP 26K
76.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.54 R 792
$32.34 COP 134.8K
37.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 R 88.2
$7.39 COP 30.8K
-32.88%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.25
$1.72 COP 7,155
15.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 20.6
$1.1 COP 4,575
5.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 15.46
$0.73 COP 3,060
19.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.82 R 50.1
$1.66 COP 6,916
69.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R 43.97
$3.2 COP 13.3K
-22.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 R 20.62
$1.09 COP 4,552
6.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.49
$1.24 COP 5,188
-11.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 R 32.49
$1.33 COP 5,544
37.59%
Eggs
$2.39 R 42.45
$2.22 COP 9,252
7.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.28 R 147
$4.55 COP 19K
81.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.22 R 92.8
$5.71 COP 23.8K
-8.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.46 R 133
$8.59 COP 35.8K
-13.15%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.64
$2.26 COP 9,410
-31.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 25.08
$1.07 COP 4,461
31.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.83
$1.51 COP 6,293
-3.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R 26.99
$1.42 COP 5,911
7.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 R 19.21
$1.11 COP 4,619
-2.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R 22.05
$1.18 COP 4,932
5.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.32
$0.89 COP 3,718
22.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 17.46
$0.84 COP 3,507
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54
$2.35 COP 9,809
29.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.68 R 101
$9.34 COP 38.9K
-39.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 R 25.18
$1.18 COP 4,927
20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.94
$2.49 COP 10.4K
-32.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 R 16.22
$0.83 COP 3,464
9.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.53 R 845
$41.9 COP 174.7K
13.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 R 24.59
$1.41 COP 5,899
-2.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 R 16.94
$1.96 COP 8,164
-51.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 R 80.8
$7.85 COP 32.7K
-42.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 R 21.88
$1.02 COP 4,265
20.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 373K
$17.6K COP 73.4M
19.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K R 434.9K
$26.2K COP 109.2M
-6.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.2 R 1,764
$82.5 COP 344.1K
20.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.54 R 597
$9.44 COP 39.4K
255.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.65 R 723
$23.51 COP 98K
72.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.61 R 758
$25.68 COP 107.1K
65.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.17 R 145
$19.14 COP 79.8K
-57.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.85 R 122
$3.96 COP 16.5K
72.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 R 3,720
$305 COP 1.3M
-31.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,202 R 92.5K
$5,925 COP 24.7M
-12.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.1 R 980
$57.9 COP 241.4K
-4.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.11 R 589
$31.59 COP 131.7K
4.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 R 1,974
$103 COP 430.1K
7.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 R 1,520
$106 COP 440.5K
-19.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$766 R 13.6K
$489 COP 2M
56.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$522 R 9,280
$379 COP 1.6M
37.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,434 R 25.5K
$827 COP 3.4M
73.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 R 18.3K
$729 COP 3M
41.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,000 R 35.6K
$2,190 COP 9.1M
-8.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,318 R 23.4K
$1,532 COP 6.4M
-13.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,641 R 29.2K
$550 COP 2.3M
198.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.77
13.43
-12.36%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 29, 2025

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

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