Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,222 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Boksburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,222 in Boksburg.

Medellin $1,614
Boksburg $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,891 in Boksburg.

Medellin $2,402
Boksburg $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,560 in Boksburg.

Medellin $3,190
Boksburg $2,560

Living in Medellin is roughly 32% more expensive than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Boksburg is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$12.15 R 200

-34.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$43.01 R 709

7.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.40 R 88.9

75.93%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.28 R 37.62

36.40%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.13 R 18.66

61.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.83 R 13.69

66.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.25 R 37.09

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.74 R 45.13

100.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.35 R 22.26

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.18 R 19.48

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.77 R 29.15

-5.08%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.73 R 44.99

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.89 R 146

14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.32 R 87.6

79.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$8.86 R 146

58.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.82 R 30.01

123.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.62 R 26.74

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.86 R 30.72

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.79 R 29.43

29.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.68 R 27.66

14.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.81 R 29.80

-9.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.23 R 20.33

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.34 R 22.06

-6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.38 R 55.6

18.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.03 R 99.4

121.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.53 R 25.14

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.89 R 31.20

25.40%

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

$0.31 R 5.14

325.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.78 R 12.77

174.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$14.54 R 240

-41.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.49 R 24.52

-12.75%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$36.3K R 597.3K

-22.79%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$33.7K R 554.6K

5.20%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$231 R 3,808

-25.54%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$38.32 R 631

-65.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$36.44 R 600

-21.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$28.26 R 466

60.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.92 R 131

-20.71%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$243 R 4,006

216.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,427 R 89.4K

66.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$53.8 R 886

60.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$46.03 R 758

24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$104 R 1,721

30.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$106 R 1,741

-7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$321 R 5,287

228.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$352 R 5,793

75.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$674 R 11.1K

180.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$764 R 12.6K

33.96%

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

$873 R 14.4K

-25.24%

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 Boksburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Boksburg

$352 28.8% 42.9% $264

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Boksburg

$212 17.3% 28.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Boksburg

$306 25% 42.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Boksburg

$140 11.4% 18% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Boksburg

$165 13.5% 1.8% $3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Boksburg

$4.2 * 0.3% 95.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Boksburg

$44 3.6% 23.7% $14

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 $321 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boksburg pays 34% 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 $43.00 in Boksburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $212 per month, with Boksburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

260,000

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Boksburg 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Boksburg differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,222 including rent). Boksburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Boksburg. 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 $321 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% 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 $1,222 in Boksburg – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Boksburg versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boksburg but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Boksburg 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.

Expats usually find Boksburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.