Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Emalahleni Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Emalahleni

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 26.6% cheaper than Emalahleni without rent, and 5.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 26.5% cheaper than Emalahleni without rent, and 7.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.23 COP 26K
$11.38 R 202
-45.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.34 COP 134.8K
$44.8 R 797
-27.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.39 COP 30.8K
$4.91 R 87.4
50.51%
Cappuccino
$1.72 COP 7,155
$2.15 R 38.23
-20.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.1 COP 4,575
$1 R 17.78
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 COP 3,060
$0.83 R 14.7
-12.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 COP 6,916
$2.63 R 46.79
-36.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.2 COP 13.3K
$2.51 R 44.59
27.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 COP 4,552
$1.18 R 21
-7.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 COP 5,188
$0.91 R 16.1
36.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 COP 5,544
$1.63 R 29.07
-18.40%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 9,252
$1.98 R 35.21
12.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.55 COP 19K
$8.09 R 144
-43.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.71 COP 23.8K
$4.2 R 74.7
35.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.59 COP 35.8K
$5.74 R 102
49.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 9,410
$1.44 R 25.61
56.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 COP 4,461
$1.43 R 25.5
-25.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 COP 6,293
$1.44 R 25.57
4.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.42 COP 5,911
$1.38 R 24.54
2.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,619
$1.49 R 26.53
-25.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 COP 4,932
$0.98 R 17.44
20.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,718
$1.08 R 19.23
-17.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 COP 3,507
$0.88 R 15.72
-4.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 9,809
$2.64 R 47.03
-10.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.34 COP 38.9K
$5.77 R 103
61.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 COP 4,927
$1.19 R 21.24
-0.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 COP 10.4K
$1.58 R 28.14
57.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 COP 3,464
$2.4 R 42.65
-65.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.9 COP 174.7K
$119 R 2,117
-64.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 COP 5,899
$0.64 R 11.4
120.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.96 COP 8,164
$0.88 R 15.73
122.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 COP 32.7K
$3.97 R 70.6
97.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 COP 4,265
$1.22 R 21.72
-16.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.6K COP 73.4M
$22K R 391.9K
-20.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K COP 109.2M
$23.6K R 420.4K
10.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 COP 344.1K
$110 R 1,962
-25.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.44 COP 39.4K
$40.54 R 721
-76.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.51 COP 98K
$42.94 R 764
-45.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.68 COP 107.1K
$33.89 R 603
-24.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.14 COP 79.8K
$22.33 R 397
-14.29%
Cinema Ticket
$3.96 COP 16.5K
$5.62 R 100
-29.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$305 COP 1.3M
$211 R 3,751
44.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,925 COP 24.7M
$1,376 R 24.5K
330.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 COP 241.4K
$50.9 R 905
13.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.59 COP 131.7K
$33.27 R 592
-5.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 COP 430.1K
$89.9 R 1,599
14.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 COP 440.5K
$78.1 R 1,389
35.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$489 COP 2M
$370 R 6,588
32.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$379 COP 1.6M
$247 R 4,390
53.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$827 COP 3.4M
$688 R 12.2K
20.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$729 COP 3M
$458 R 8,137
59.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,190 COP 9.1M
$267 R 4,745
720.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,532 COP 6.4M
$144 R 2,552
967.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Emalahleni
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$550 COP 2.3M
$1,589 R 28.3K
-65.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
11.51
16.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

Last update for Emalahleni: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.