Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bhisho

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhisho: $1,142 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bhisho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,142 in Bhisho.

Medellin $1,692
Bhisho $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,802 in Bhisho.

Medellin $2,471
Bhisho $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,462 in Bhisho.

Medellin $3,249
Bhisho $2,462

Living in Medellin is roughly 48% more expensive than in Bhisho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Bhisho is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.99 R 182

-24.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$42.60 R 707

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.88 R 97.7

61.05%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.06 R 34.16

51.94%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$1.02 R 16.92

73.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$0.73 R 12.17

94.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.66 R 44.09

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.18 R 52.9

79.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.13 R 18.80

35.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$1.04 R 17.31

120.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$1.51 R 25.00

28.48%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$2.71 R 44.93

13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$8.81 R 146

13.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.20 R 86.4

100.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$8.53 R 142

63.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.18 R 36.19

85.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$1.53 R 25.40

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$1.68 R 27.83

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$1.73 R 28.75

32.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$1.67 R 27.71

26.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$1.42 R 23.62

20.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$1.25 R 20.71

-6.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$0.98 R 16.32

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.30 R 54.8

18.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.70 R 78.1

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.22 R 20.18

44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$1.76 R 29.26

53.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$1.78 R 29.54

-33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

$23.99 R 398

218.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$0.83 R 13.70

118.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$0.50 R 8.30

326.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$8.31 R 138

-2.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.47 R 24.45

-12.93%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$34.4K R 571.1K

0.13%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$35.4K R 587.9K

-3.58%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$124 R 2,066

42.86%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$34.58 R 574

-59.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$45.53 R 756

-32.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$32.31 R 537

29.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$11.98 R 199

40.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.38 R 172

-28.03%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$177 R 2,945

345.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,036 R 100.2K

103.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$70.7 R 1,173

22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$38.97 R 647

52.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$110 R 1,828

25.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$97.3 R 1,615

1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$398 R 6,602

237.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$355 R 5,888

88.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$717 R 11.9K

175.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$724 R 12.0K

42.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$771 R 12.8K

431.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$671 R 11.1K

189.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,243 R 53.8K

-80.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.94

-8.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bhisho

$355 31.1% 46.9% $313

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bhisho

$196 17.1% 36.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bhisho

$205 17.9% 8% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bhisho

$157 13.7% 9.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bhisho

$143 12.5% 17.2% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bhisho

$34 3% 63.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bhisho

$53 4.7% 6.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $398 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays about 5 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 $43 in Bhisho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $196 per month, with Bhisho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

137,287

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Bhisho 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Bhisho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhisho wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bhisho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $398 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $177 in Bhisho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bhisho is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Bhisho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.