Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,367 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,367 in Centurion versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Centurion $1,367
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Centurion versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Centurion $2,206
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,045 in Centurion versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Centurion $3,045
Medellin $3,186

Living in Centurion costs roughly 17% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 R 361

$8.09 COP 25.6K

168.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R 664

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-14.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 R 95.5

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-39.47%

Cappuccino

$2.67 R 44.30

$3.01 COP 9,540

-11.30%

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

$0.97 R 16.05

$1.80 COP 5,693

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.41

$1.41 COP 4,469

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 R 33.90

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-35.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.14

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-57.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.51 COP 4,778

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.13

$2.38 COP 7,524

-49.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.07

$1.77 COP 5,606

19.21%

Eggs

$2.93 R 48.73

$2.89 COP 9,146

1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 R 168

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 R 110

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-32.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 121

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-48.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.91

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.93

$1.55 COP 4,911

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.49

$2.18 COP 6,907

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.08

$2.18 COP 6,910

-5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.34

$1.96 COP 6,210

-18.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.58

$1.59 COP 5,029

11.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.52

$1.15 COP 3,625

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$1.24 COP 3,934

12.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 R 61.4

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-6.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 R 98.7

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R 26.26

$1.66 COP 5,252

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.68

$2.26 COP 7,145

-7.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 R 39.18

$1.17 COP 3,696

101.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.4 R 1,617

$77.4 COP 244.8K

25.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.30

$1.27 COP 4,013

-3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 R 19.61

$2.05 COP 6,480

-42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 R 150

$8.55 COP 27.1K

5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.93

$1.35 COP 4,262

6.67%

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

$35.7K R 593.0K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

4.80%

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

$32.9K R 545.8K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-5.23%

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

$136 R 2,263

$170 COP 536.8K

-19.71%

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

$29.89 R 497

$13.55 COP 42.9K

120.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.20 R 668

$28.07 COP 88.8K

43.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.78 R 727

$43.70 COP 138.3K

0.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 R 176

$6.91 COP 21.9K

53.26%

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

$315 R 5,226

$797 COP 2.5M

-60.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,416 R 73.4K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-51.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 972

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 R 718

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-25.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,944

$135 COP 427.1K

-13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 R 1,696

$97.9 COP 309.7K

4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,571

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-72.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,124

$642 COP 2.0M

-42.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,643

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 R 14.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-11.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$527 R 8,757

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-87.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$605 R 10.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 R 39.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

259.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.94

-4.02%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$369 27%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 74% $273

Eating Out

Centurion

$246 18%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 30.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$223 16.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 33.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$206 15.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 2.4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$144 10.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17% $25

Getting Around

Centurion

$114 8.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 17.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 11.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $335 in Centurion and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Centurion vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $297 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

7 h behind Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Centurion Medellin 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Centurion
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

Centurion vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Centurion is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $335 in Centurion versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 21% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $315 in Centurion versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Centurion 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 Centurion delivers better value at $1,367 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.