Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
Learn more

George Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in George

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,110 in George.

Medellin $1,639
George $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,847 in George.

Medellin $2,413
George $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,584 in George.

Medellin $3,186
George $2,584

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, George is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.85 R 181

-25.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.91 R 700

12.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.95 R 82.6

91.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.13 R 35.57

41.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.05 R 17.59

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.78 R 12.95

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.70 R 45.10

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.25 R 54.3

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.15 R 19.15

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.01 R 16.92

135.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.50 R 25.09

18.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.79 R 46.63

3.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.68 R 145

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.29 R 88.2

86.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.70 R 112

108.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.68 R 27.99

136.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.55 R 25.80

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.49 R 24.86

46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.73 R 28.89

26.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.71 R 28.48

14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.40 R 23.32

13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.25 R 20.82

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.99 R 16.61

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.20 R 53.4

23.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.97 R 83.0

175.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.28 R 21.44

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.75 R 29.17

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.48 R 24.63

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$27.91 R 466

177.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.64 R 10.67

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.48 R 7.95

327.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.64 R 144

-1.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.25 R 20.87

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.9K R 499.3K

13.89%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.0K R 500.5K

15.64%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$123 R 2,052

37.98%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.56 R 293

-22.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$46.26 R 772

-39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.43 R 508

43.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.78 R 180

59.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.93 R 98.9

16.53%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$139 R 2,324

472.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,219 R 87.1K

74.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$72.1 R 1,203

17.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$38.64 R 645

50.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$112 R 1,864

20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$86.8 R 1,448

12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$429 R 7,163

181.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$362 R 6,051

77.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$770 R 12.9K

163.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$935 R 15.6K

8.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$855 R 14.3K

387.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$690 R 11.5K

176.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,339 R 22.4K

-50.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.92

0.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

George

$362 32.6% 43.5% $279

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

George

$188 17% 36.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

George

$187 16.8% 11.6% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

George

$155 13.9% 8.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

George

$139 12.5% 17.7% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

George

$37 3.3% 60.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

George

$42 3.8% 26.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $429 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays about 2 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 $42 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $188 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

188,580

💱 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 = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin George 11,140 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $429 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $42 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,110 in George – George is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,110 in George versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes George 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 George 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.