Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Benoni

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 Benoni actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Medellin $1,614
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Medellin $2,402
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Medellin $3,190
Benoni $1,589

Living in Medellin is roughly 51% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.19 R 168

-22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$37.46 R 617

23.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.86 R 96.5

62.12%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.22 R 36.61

40.09%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.19 R 19.64

53.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.85 R 14.00

62.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.33 R 38.33

30.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.74 R 45.15

100.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.22 R 20.16

18.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.13 R 18.65

108.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.72 R 28.33

-2.33%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.46 R 40.48

16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.31 R 137

22.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.86 R 80.1

96.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.12 R 117

97.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.73 R 28.55

135.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.63 R 26.81

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.80 R 29.58

20.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.56 R 25.70

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.12 R 18.39

72.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.22 R 20.10

34.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.23 R 20.29

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.27 R 20.97

-1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.37 R 55.5

18.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.09 R 83.8

162.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.51 R 24.94

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.95 R 32.14

21.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.29 R 4.72

355.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.89 R 14.67

140.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$14.73 R 243

-42.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.54 R 25.41

-15.58%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$35.1K R 578.8K

-20.32%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.5K R 534.9K

9.07%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$203 R 3,342

-15.17%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$38.42 R 633

-65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$36.63 R 604

-21.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$18.06 R 297

150.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.10 R 117

-11.55%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$246 R 4,051

213.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,577 R 91.9K

61.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$53.5 R 882

61.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$32.40 R 534

76.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$91.9 R 1,515

48.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$84.8 R 1,397

15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$398 R 6,557

165.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$296 R 4,881

107.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$487 R 8,029

288.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,041 R 33.6K

-68.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.91

0.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 51.9% $320

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 34.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 29.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Benoni

$118 11% 30.5% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 10.3% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 94.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Benoni

$32 3% 44.2% $26

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 $1,055 in Medellin and $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 213% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

158,777

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Benoni 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Benoni differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,072 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 213% lower in Benoni. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $1,072 in Benoni – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Benoni are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.