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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 18.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 17.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 12.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.11 R 182
$6.14 COP 22.2K
80.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.51 R 746
$33.05 COP 119.3K
37.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.93 R 80.9
$7.32 COP 26.4K
-32.65%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 35.70
$1.66 COP 5,987
31.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 16.13
$1.10 COP 3,987
-10.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 R 12.78
$0.78 COP 2,822
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.69 R 44.06
$1.71 COP 6,188
57.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 40.10
$3.17 COP 11.5K
-22.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.52
$1.11 COP 4,012
7.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.09 R 17.93
$1.31 COP 4,719
-16.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 R 28.10
$1.38 COP 4,980
23.91%
Eggs
$2.46 R 40.41
$2.22 COP 8,009
10.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.33 R 137
$4.34 COP 15.7K
91.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 79.0
$5.80 COP 20.9K
-17.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.63 R 109
$8.98 COP 32.4K
-26.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 26.59
$2.26 COP 8,164
-28.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 R 24.98
$1.11 COP 4,023
36.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.50
$1.46 COP 5,284
2.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 R 27.00
$1.37 COP 4,929
20.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.52
$1.11 COP 4,009
28.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 22.82
$1.16 COP 4,199
19.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 17.06
$0.89 COP 3,211
16.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 15.51
$0.87 COP 3,124
9.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.11 R 51.0
$2.35 COP 8,495
32.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 99.4
$10.86 COP 39.2K
-44.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.38
$1.20 COP 4,330
13.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 R 27.17
$2.48 COP 8,946
-33.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 R 27.35
$0.79 COP 2,842
111.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.7 R 1,127
$40.77 COP 147.2K
68.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 R 18.05
$1.42 COP 5,137
-22.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R 15.33
$1.91 COP 6,900
-51.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 R 66.9
$7.65 COP 27.6K
-46.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 R 20.25
$0.97 COP 3,490
26.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K R 371.2K
$18.1K COP 65.3M
25.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 396.1K
$26.3K COP 95.0M
-8.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,921
$81.3 COP 293.5K
44.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.39 R 662
$9.63 COP 34.8K
319.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.53 R 698
$24.36 COP 88.0K
74.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.90 R 556
$26.02 COP 93.9K
30.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.94 R 229
$18.92 COP 68.3K
-26.32%
Cinema Ticket
$7.35 R 120
$3.89 COP 14.0K
88.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 R 3,352
$304 COP 1.1M
-32.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,925 R 80.8K
$5,902 COP 21.3M
-16.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.61 R 814
$58.7 COP 211.8K
-15.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.99 R 541
$32.48 COP 117.2K
1.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 R 1,513
$102 COP 367.3K
-9.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 R 1,302
$108 COP 390.4K
-26.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$420 R 6,893
$474 COP 1.7M
-11.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 R 6,138
$371 COP 1.3M
0.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 R 14.9K
$848 COP 3.1M
6.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$715 R 11.7K
$716 COP 2.6M
-0.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,050 R 17.2K
$2,871 COP 10.4M
-63.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$768 R 12.6K
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-44.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,601 R 26.3K
$542 COP 2.0M
195.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
13.43
-14.30%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: April 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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