Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durbanville and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Durbanville: $1,153 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Durbanville, South Africa
Medellin, Colombia
Durbanville
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,153
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,153 per month in Durbanville vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Durbanville $1,153
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Durbanville vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Durbanville $1,834
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Durbanville vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Durbanville $2,516
  • Medellin $3,186

Durbanville is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Durbanville sits 15% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.29 R 205
$8.09 COP 25.4K
51.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.72 R 778
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-0.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.00 R 100.0
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-36.84%
Cappuccino
$2.46 R 41.00
$3.01 COP 9,485
-18.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.71
$1.80 COP 5,660
-47.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R 10.55
$1.41 COP 4,443
-55.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 R 40.01
$3.18 COP 9,990
-24.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 R 46.60
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-51.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 R 22.11
$1.51 COP 4,751
-11.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 R 20.42
$2.38 COP 7,480
-48.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 R 36.04
$1.77 COP 5,573
22.03%
Eggs
$3.24 R 54.0
$2.89 COP 9,093
12.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.97 R 149
$10.19 COP 32.1K
-11.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.85 R 114
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-30.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.69 R 161
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-30.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 R 31.79
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-51.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.92 R 32.07
$1.55 COP 4,883
23.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.49
$2.18 COP 6,867
-18.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 R 36.06
$2.18 COP 6,870
-0.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 R 25.76
$1.96 COP 6,174
-20.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.81
$1.59 COP 5,000
-6.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.69
$1.15 COP 3,604
13.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 R 19.21
$1.24 COP 3,911
-7.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.6
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-9.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 R 99.1
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-56.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 R 23.49
$1.66 COP 5,221
-15.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 R 36.53
$2.26 COP 7,103
-3.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.54 R 25.60
$1.17 COP 3,674
31.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 R 9.81
$1.27 COP 3,989
-53.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 R 25.52
$2.05 COP 6,442
-25.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.12 R 85.3
$8.55 COP 26.9K
-40.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.61 R 26.78
$1.35 COP 4,237
19.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K R 591.6K
$34.1K COP 107.2M
4.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K R 572.5K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-0.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 1,931
$170 COP 533.7K
-31.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.03 R 484
$13.55 COP 42.6K
114.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.89 R 681
$28.07 COP 88.3K
45.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.91 R 532
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-26.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.78 R 180
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-37.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.19 R 153
$6.91 COP 21.7K
33.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$266 R 4,435
$797 COP 2.5M
-66.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,797 R 113.3K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-25.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 R 927
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-34.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.11 R 535
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-44.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 R 2,000
$135 COP 424.6K
-11.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 R 1,787
$97.9 COP 307.9K
9.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$390 R 6,506
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-67.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 R 6,073
$642 COP 2.0M
-43.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 R 12.2K
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-63.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$732 R 12.2K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-27.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$866 R 14.4K
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-79.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$683 R 11.4K
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-64.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durbanville
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,033 R 17.2K
$657 COP 2.1M
57.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
10.94
0.27%

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

Last update for Durbanville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Durbanville
$364
Medellin
$642 76% $277
Groceries & Markets
Durbanville
$226
Medellin
$297 31.2% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durbanville
$186
Medellin
$211 13.7% $25
Eating Out
Durbanville
$170
Medellin
$170 0.1% $0.1
Clothing & Footwear
Durbanville
$142
Medellin
$169 19.2% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Durbanville
$50
Medellin
$58 14.4% $7.3
Getting Around
Durbanville
$14 *
Medellin
$94 550% $79

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Durbanville 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 57% higher in Durbanville, 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 $47 in Durbanville versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $297 – making Durbanville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Durbanville
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
18:03 6:03 PM
11:03 11:03 AM
7 h behind Durbanville
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Durbanville Medellin 10,790 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Durbanville
  • 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
Durbanville vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Durbanville or Medellin?
Medellin costs about 42% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Durbanville and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,729 per month in Durbanville and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Durbanville or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
How much does it cost to live in Durbanville compared to Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 42%.
Are groceries more expensive in Durbanville or in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Durbanville or in Medellin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Durbanville – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Durbanville vs other spots: cost of living compared

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