Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
Learn more

Hillcrest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Medellin $3,249

Hillcrest is about 36% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hillcrest sits 20% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 131

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-5.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 636

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-17.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 99.7

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-36.54%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 45.03

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-13.42%

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

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.77 COP 5,728

-35.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.42 COP 4,620

-36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.68

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.51

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-56.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.50

$1.53 COP 4,971

-22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.31

$2.29 COP 7,431

-57.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.86

$1.94 COP 6,308

-22.68%

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.53

$3.07 COP 9,945

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 136

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-18.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.7

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-51.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 121

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-47.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.46

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-68.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.95

$1.53 COP 4,957

26.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.29

$2.10 COP 6,825

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.75

$2.29 COP 7,439

-24.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$2.11 COP 6,841

-30.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.71 COP 5,543

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.99

$1.17 COP 3,795

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.92

$1.58 COP 5,125

-27.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.6

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-65.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.36

$1.76 COP 5,714

-19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.55

$2.71 COP 8,796

-27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.47

$1.18 COP 3,826

30.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.22

$1.81 COP 5,860

-75.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.74

$2.13 COP 6,906

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 128

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-5.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.11

$1.28 COP 4,136

13.28%

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

$35.2K R 584.1K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

2.24%

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

$33.1K R 548.4K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-3.16%

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

$153 R 2,539

$178 COP 576.4K

-13.90%

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

$35.61 R 591

$13.89 COP 45.0K

156.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 648

$30.74 COP 99.7K

27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 547

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-21.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 225

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-19.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-2.41%

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

$310 R 5,149

$790 COP 2.6M

-60.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 123.3K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-39.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 856

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-40.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 464

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-52.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,608

$138 COP 448.7K

-29.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,313

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,248

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-71.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,850

$667 COP 2.2M

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.6K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-67.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.1K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-29.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.7K

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-81.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,536

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-70.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 89.2% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 2.3% $5.3

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 62.4% $118

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 24.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 49.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 19.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 824% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $307 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

7 h behind Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hillcrest Medellin 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

Hillcrest vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $1,692 in Medellin – Hillcrest comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.