Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Medellin $3,186

Durban is about 31% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Durban sits 17% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-1.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-16.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-35.26%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$3.01 COP 9,485

-9.30%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.80 COP 5,660

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$1.41 COP 4,443

-35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$3.18 COP 9,990

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-56.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.51 COP 4,751

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$2.38 COP 7,480

-57.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.77 COP 5,573

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$2.89 COP 9,093

-15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-46.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-47.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-50.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.55 COP 4,883

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$2.18 COP 6,867

-11.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$2.18 COP 6,870

-24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.96 COP 6,174

-20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.59 COP 5,000

-8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.15 COP 3,604

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$1.24 COP 3,911

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-8.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-65.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.66 COP 5,221

-15.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.26 COP 7,103

-16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$1.17 COP 3,674

52.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-72.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$1.27 COP 3,989

-67.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$2.05 COP 6,442

-62.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.35 COP 4,237

10.37%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

4.17%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-6.78%

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

$148 R 2,460

$170 COP 533.7K

-12.98%

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

$35.49 R 591

$13.55 COP 42.6K

161.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$28.07 COP 88.3K

40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-29.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-49.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$6.91 COP 21.7K

6.95%

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

$317 R 5,274

$797 COP 2.5M

-60.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-15.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-47.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$135 COP 424.6K

-26.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-63.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$642 COP 2.0M

-41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-59.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-26.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-80.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-70.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

94.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.94

7.68%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 71.3% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 5.1% $11

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 53% $103

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 21.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 40.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.6% $12

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 186% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban versus $1,208 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 95% higher in Durban, 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 $39 in Durban versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $297 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

7 h behind Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Medellin 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

Durban vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 45%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Durban is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 45% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.