Comparación del coste de vida entre Cape Town y Medellin Comparación del coste de vida entre Cape Town y Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,276 per month in Cape Town vs $1,034 in Medellin, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,991 per month in Cape Town vs $1,577 in Medellin, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Cape Town vs $2,120 in Medellin, rent included.

Cape Town costs about 23% more than Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both Cape Town and Medellin are more affordable than the global median – Cape Town 5% lower, Medellin 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.74 R 178

$5.92 COP 21.5K

81.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 R 746

$32.75 COP 119.1K

37.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 R 85.8

$7.20 COP 26.2K

-28.06%

Cappuccino

$1.99 R 32.86

$1.70 COP 6,186

17.06%

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

$1.15 R 19.01

$1.10 COP 3,996

4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.42

$0.72 COP 2,625

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 45.03

$1.67 COP 6,067

62.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 R 42.26

$3.10 COP 11.3K

-17.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 18.96

$1.06 COP 3,837

8.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 R 17.50

$1.25 COP 4,531

-15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$1.39 COP 5,060

31.65%

Eggs

$2.37 R 39.19

$2.26 COP 8,229

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 139

$4.33 COP 15.8K

94.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 84.2

$5.84 COP 21.2K

-12.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 R 127

$8.83 COP 32.1K

-13.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.03

$2.24 COP 8,159

-29.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.40

$1.08 COP 3,911

36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.85

$1.53 COP 5,563

-1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.20

$1.37 COP 4,987

10.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.73

$1.13 COP 4,109

-5.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.61

$1.12 COP 4,067

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 R 17.40

$0.85 COP 3,080

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.28

$0.91 COP 3,305

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R 50.3

$2.33 COP 8,477

30.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 R 103

$11.13 COP 40.5K

-44.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.27

$1.19 COP 4,342

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.96

$2.37 COP 8,617

-28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R 16.02

$0.79 COP 2,859

22.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.67 R 772

$41.13 COP 149.6K

13.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 R 22.80

$1.44 COP 5,223

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.80

$1.91 COP 6,952

-50.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 R 75.8

$8.02 COP 29.2K

-42.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R 20.57

$0.94 COP 3,410

31.91%

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

$21.2K R 350.2K

$17.9K COP 65.2M

18.06%

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

$24.3K R 402.7K

$26.8K COP 97.4M

-9.18%

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

$99.6 R 1,649

$84.0 COP 305.4K

18.64%

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

$32.98 R 546

$9.60 COP 34.9K

243.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.97 R 678

$24.16 COP 87.9K

69.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 R 679

$25.88 COP 94.1K

58.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.02 R 133

$19.04 COP 69.3K

-57.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 R 111

$3.92 COP 14.2K

70.66%

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

$212 R 3,511

$306 COP 1.1M

-30.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,357 R 88.7K

$5,919 COP 21.5M

-9.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 910

$57.9 COP 210.6K

-5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 R 553

$31.82 COP 115.7K

5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,839

$99.9 COP 363.3K

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,389

$107 COP 389.7K

-21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 R 12.7K

$487 COP 1.8M

58.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 R 8,412

$368 COP 1.3M

38.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 R 23.7K

$826 COP 3.0M

73.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 R 17.1K

$716 COP 2.6M

44.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,213 R 36.6K

$2,925 COP 10.6M

-24.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,436 R 23.8K

$1,407 COP 5.1M

2.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 R 27.6K

$546 COP 2.0M

206.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.77

13.43

-12.36%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Cape Town: April 25, 2026

Última actualización para Medellin: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Cape Town versus $487 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 206% higher in Cape Town, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $33.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Cape Town vs $190 in Medellin – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Cape Town vs Medellin: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Cape Town costs about 23% more than Medellin, with the gap driven mainly by Eating Out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,914 per month in Cape Town and $1,550 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,276 in Cape Town and $1,034 in Medellin. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,034, than in Cape Town at $1,276. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,034 versus $1,276 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.