Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,192 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,192
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,978 per month in Johannesburg vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,978
Medellin $3,139

Johannesburg is about 12% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Johannesburg and Medellin sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 5%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 197

$8.01 COP 25.5K

49.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 727

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-5.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-21.42%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.67

$2.91 COP 9,277

-15.12%

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

$1.17 R 19.36

$1.75 COP 5,585

-33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.41

$1.32 COP 4,218

-34.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.31

$3.13 COP 9,969

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.86

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-49.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.12

$1.41 COP 4,495

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.41

$2.44 COP 7,777

-49.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.33

$1.63 COP 5,191

9.20%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.59

$2.82 COP 8,990

-6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 139

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.4

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-42.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 139

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-37.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.76

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-48.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.65

$1.48 COP 4,719

21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.32

$2.12 COP 6,768

-13.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.47

$2.25 COP 7,178

-9.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.23

$1.91 COP 6,092

-10.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.16

$1.62 COP 5,160

12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.34

$1.15 COP 3,658

22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.82

$1.26 COP 4,021

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 55.8

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-11.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 98.8

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-54.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.31

$1.60 COP 5,083

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.28

$2.26 COP 7,188

7.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 33.85

$1.17 COP 3,731

75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,477

$75.0 COP 239.0K

19.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.58

$1.27 COP 4,056

-35.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.41

$2.05 COP 6,531

-54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$8.20 COP 26.1K

78.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.77

$1.27 COP 4,046

18.11%

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

$36.0K R 594.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

34.59%

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

$32.7K R 539.8K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-4.91%

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

$227 R 3,751

$162 COP 516.9K

40.15%

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

$37.98 R 627

$13.12 COP 41.8K

189.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 602

$28.09 COP 89.5K

29.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 608

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-16.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 287

$16.33 COP 52.0K

6.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 129

$6.09 COP 19.4K

28.74%

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

$238 R 3,931

$764 COP 2.4M

-68.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 91.8K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-37.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 967

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-31.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 768

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-19.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,796

$132 COP 419.8K

-17.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,738

$95.8 COP 305.1K

10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,177

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,958

$604 COP 1.9M

-30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.1K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-45.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.7K

$993 COP 3.2M

-10.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 15.9K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-75.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-53.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.0K

$626 COP 2.0M

180.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.94

-0.27%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 43.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 32.6% $98

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 33.7% $73

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 3.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 15.9% $23

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 11.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 7.6% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $496 in Johannesburg versus $1,028 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 180% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $288 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

7 h behind Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Medellin 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

Johannesburg vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 13% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,109 per month in Johannesburg and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Johannesburg and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,406, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,406 versus $1,589 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Johannesburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.