Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hartebeespoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Hartebeespoort: $946 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Hartebeespoort
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Hartebeespoort Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Hartebeespoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hartebeespoort

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $946 in Hartebeespoort.

Medellin $1,692
Hartebeespoort $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,491 in Hartebeespoort.

Medellin $2,471
Hartebeespoort $1,491

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,035 in Hartebeespoort.

Medellin $3,249
Hartebeespoort $2,035

Living in Medellin is roughly 79% more expensive than in Hartebeespoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Hartebeespoort is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.32 R 137

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$37.40 R 616

24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.87 R 96.8

61.33%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.09 R 34.39

49.76%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.06 R 17.44

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.92 R 15.10

54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.39 R 39.43

31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.64 R 43.55

115.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.08 R 17.85

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.05 R 17.37

118.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.53 R 25.27

26.80%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.57 R 42.37

19.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.33 R 121

36.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.73 R 78.0

120.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.48 R 107

115.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.54 R 25.35

162.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.45 R 23.88

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.45 R 23.86

44.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.47 R 24.31

55.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.20 R 19.77

75.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.25 R 20.54

36.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.98 R 16.12

19.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.93 R 15.29

69.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.93 R 48.28

33.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$4.89 R 80.6

187.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.35 R 22.24

30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.97 R 32.53

37.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$2.46 R 40.53

-52.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$48.81 R 804

56.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$0.83 R 13.63

118.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.87 R 14.39

144.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$4.27 R 70.4

90.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.48 R 24.46

-13.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$20.1K R 331.6K

71.15%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$26.7K R 439.3K

28.05%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$102 R 1,677

74.64%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$24.09 R 397

-42.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$32.67 R 538

-5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$31.93 R 526

31.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$9.24 R 152

81.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.01 R 99.0

24.29%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$218 R 3,585

263.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,557 R 75.1K

169.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$40.75 R 672

111.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$26.35 R 434

124.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$72.6 R 1,197

90.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$54.5 R 899

81.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$249 R 4,103

438.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$284 R 4,680

134.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$615 R 10.1K

221.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$569 R 9,369

81.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$448 R 7,375

815.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$577 R 9,510

236.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,024 R 33.4K

-68.08%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hartebeespoort: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Hartebeespoort

$284 30% 57.4% $383

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Hartebeespoort

$174 18.4% 43.4% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Hartebeespoort

$159 16.8% 28.7% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Hartebeespoort

$134 14.2% 22.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Hartebeespoort

$87 9.2% 49.2% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Hartebeespoort

$64 6.8% 31.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Hartebeespoort

$44 4.6% 22.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $249 in Hartebeespoort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hartebeespoort pays about 3.1 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 $37 in Hartebeespoort for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $174 per month, with Hartebeespoort cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Hartebeespoort

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

26,732

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Hartebeespoort 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hartebeespoort

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 Hartebeespoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hartebeespoort is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $249 in Hartebeespoort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $218 in Hartebeespoort. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Hartebeespoort gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.