Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Medellin

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 15.6% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 13.7% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Johannesburg is 16.9% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 13.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 RĀ 181
$6.03 COPĀ 22.9K
83.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 RĀ 747
$33.17 COPĀ 125.7K
37.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 RĀ 80.8
$7.29 COPĀ 27.6K
-32.10%
Cappuccino
$2.23 RĀ 36.44
$1.63 COPĀ 6,174
36.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 RĀ 16.31
$1.05 COPĀ 3,974
-4.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 RĀ 13.14
$0.77 COPĀ 2,918
3.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 RĀ 43.10
$1.73 COPĀ 6,554
52.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 RĀ 40.11
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
-22.96%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 RĀ 19.68
$1.07 COPĀ 4,043
12.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 RĀ 17.10
$1.31 COPĀ 4,968
-19.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 RĀ 26.68
$1.38 COPĀ 5,230
18.12%
Eggs
$2.56 RĀ 41.83
$2.25 COPĀ 8,515
13.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 RĀ 138
$4.48 COPĀ 17.0K
88.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 RĀ 78.6
$5.74 COPĀ 21.7K
-16.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 RĀ 109
$8.86 COPĀ 33.6K
-24.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 RĀ 26.52
$2.24 COPĀ 8,496
-27.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 RĀ 23.80
$1.06 COPĀ 4,015
37.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 RĀ 25.06
$1.51 COPĀ 5,736
1.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 RĀ 26.21
$1.36 COPĀ 5,154
17.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 RĀ 23.37
$1.12 COPĀ 4,247
27.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 RĀ 22.95
$1.17 COPĀ 4,430
19.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 RĀ 17.67
$0.90 COPĀ 3,418
20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 RĀ 14.62
$0.84 COPĀ 3,171
5.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 RĀ 51.4
$2.26 COPĀ 8,559
38.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 RĀ 99.0
$9.97 COPĀ 37.8K
-39.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 RĀ 22.21
$1.18 COPĀ 4,482
15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 RĀ 27.02
$2.39 COPĀ 9,054
-30.96%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 RĀ 27.84
$0.86 COPĀ 3,255
97.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 RĀ 1,162
$41.45 COPĀ 157.1K
71.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 RĀ 18.72
$1.47 COPĀ 5,559
-21.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 RĀ 14.65
$1.95 COPĀ 7,372
-53.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 RĀ 65.5
$7.76 COPĀ 29.4K
-48.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 RĀ 20.89
$0.97 COPĀ 3,665
31.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K RĀ 367.0K
$17.9K COPĀ 68.0M
25.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K RĀ 387.8K
$26.7K COPĀ 101.2M
-11.18%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 RĀ 1,926
$81.1 COPĀ 307.3K
45.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 RĀ 668
$9.40 COPĀ 35.6K
334.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 RĀ 705
$23.61 COPĀ 89.4K
82.80%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 RĀ 562
$25.55 COPĀ 96.8K
34.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 RĀ 227
$19.29 COPĀ 73.1K
-27.99%
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 RĀ 119
$4.10 COPĀ 15.5K
77.80%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 RĀ 3,406
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
-31.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 RĀ 79.7K
$5,899 COPĀ 22.3M
-17.31%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 RĀ 833
$59.8 COPĀ 226.6K
-14.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 RĀ 557
$31.96 COPĀ 121.1K
6.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 RĀ 1,465
$103 COPĀ 389.1K
-12.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 RĀ 1,306
$108 COPĀ 408.7K
-25.93%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 RĀ 6,780
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
-14.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 RĀ 6,058
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
-1.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 RĀ 14.8K
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
10.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 RĀ 11.4K
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
-3.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 RĀ 17.3K
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
-61.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 RĀ 12.6K
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
-41.67%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 RĀ 27.3K
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
210.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
13.43
-14.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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