Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,061 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bloemfontein

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,061 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Bloemfontein $1,061

A couple spends around $2,439 per month in Medellin vs $1,674 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Medellin $2,439
Bloemfontein $1,674

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,287 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Bloemfontein $2,287

Medellin costs about 60% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 24% above the global median, while Bloemfontein is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.84 R 197

-29.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$41.31 R 686

12.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.00 R 116

35.29%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.07 R 34.41

51.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$1.44 R 23.92

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$1.07 R 17.84

32.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.58 R 42.79

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.76 R 45.82

106.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.03 R 17.08

48.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$1.07 R 17.69

114.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$2.12 R 35.22

-8.49%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$2.17 R 35.97

41.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$7.67 R 127

30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.83 R 80.2

116.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.60 R 126

83.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.88 R 31.24

115.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$1.56 R 25.87

-1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$1.74 R 28.89

20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$1.57 R 25.99

45.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$1.57 R 26.03

34.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$1.85 R 30.70

-7.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$1.09 R 18.10

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$0.96 R 15.96

64.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.54 R 42.24

53.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.71 R 78.2

198.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.81 R 29.99

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$1.36 R 22.54

99.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$0.91 R 15.13

29.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

$75.5 R 1,254

1.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$1.11 R 18.38

63.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$1.46 R 24.19

-12.33%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$36.3K R 602.9K

-5.15%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$29.4K R 488.4K

16.05%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$76.6 R 1,272

132.02%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$33.40 R 555

-58.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$32.15 R 534

-4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$31.41 R 522

33.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.93 R 81.8

51.52%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$192 R 3,194

310.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$59.0 R 980

46.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$42.91 R 713

38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$134 R 2,233

2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$111 R 1,839

-10.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$319 R 5,304

319.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$285 R 4,728

134.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$515 R 8,549

283.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$537 R 8,914

92.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$477 R 7,924

758.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$622 R 10.3K

211.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,325 R 22.0K

-51.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.13

-9.81%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bloemfontein

$285 26.8% 57.3% $382

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bloemfontein

$187 17.6% 39.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bloemfontein

$142 13.4% 36.1% $80

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bloemfontein

$169 15.9% 2.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bloemfontein

$156 14.7% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bloemfontein

$80 * 7.6% 14.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9% 27.5% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $319 in Bloemfontein. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bloemfontein are about 2 times higher, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $41 in Bloemfontein. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $187 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

370,000 Capital

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bloemfontein 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bloemfontein

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 Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 60% more than Bloemfontein, 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,591 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $41 in Bloemfontein. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,061 in Bloemfontein. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.