Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ballito

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballito: $618 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Ballito
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Ballito Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ballito

🇿🇦 South Africa

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ballito

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Ballito actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $618 in Ballito.

Medellin $1,639
Ballito $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $972 in Ballito.

Medellin $2,413
Ballito $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,327 in Ballito.

Medellin $3,186
Ballito $1,327

Living in Medellin is roughly 165% more expensive than in Ballito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ballito is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.02 R 101

34.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$39.25 R 656

19.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.85 R 97.7

62.39%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.66 R 44.42

13.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.13 R 18.91

59.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.90 R 15.00

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.98 R 33.04

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.49 R 41.68

130.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.00 R 16.68

51.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.93 R 15.58

155.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.47 R 24.63

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.44 R 40.75

18.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.21 R 120

41.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.83 R 80.8

104.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.30 R 122

91.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.53 R 25.50

159.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.86 R 31.11

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.46 R 24.32

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.72 R 28.71

26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.02 R 17.11

92.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.39 R 23.22

14.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.21 R 20.22

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.20 R 20.05

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.51 R 58.6

12.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.85 R 81.1

182.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.41 R 23.63

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.83 R 30.65

23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.41 R 6.84

209.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.76 R 12.65

169.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.37 R 123

16.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.30 R 21.75

3.85%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$35.1K R 586.6K

-2.97%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$33.5K R 559.9K

3.46%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$147 R 2,448

15.79%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.16 R 370

-38.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$35.37 R 591

-20.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.16 R 103

12.18%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$306 R 5,118

160.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,455 R 124.6K

22.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$41.38 R 691

104.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$29.89 R 499

93.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$59.0 R 986

128.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$82.4 R 1,376

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$448 R 7,478

169.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,506 R 25.2K

34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,479 R 24.7K

-55.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.78

-7.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ballito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ballito

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ballito

$181 29.3% 38.9% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ballito

$204 33% 3.4% $7.2

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ballito

$121 19.5% 28.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ballito

$96 15.5% 43.4% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ballito

$4.2 * 0.7% 95.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ballito

$12 * 2% 78.6% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $448 in Ballito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballito pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $39 in Ballito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $181 per month, with Ballito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Ballito

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,718

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ballito 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ballito

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

Medellin vs Ballito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballito is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $448 in Ballito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $306 in Ballito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ballito – a meal for two runs $39 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $618 in Ballito versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ballito but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ballito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ballito is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.