Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hermanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,143 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hermanus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,143 in Hermanus.

Medellin $1,639
Hermanus $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,761 in Hermanus.

Medellin $2,413
Hermanus $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,379 in Hermanus.

Medellin $3,186
Hermanus $2,379

Living in Medellin is roughly 43% more expensive than in Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Hermanus is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.33 R 222

-39.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$34.96 R 583

34.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.74 R 95.7

65.51%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.32 R 38.69

29.74%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.09 R 18.20

65.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.87 R 14.49

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.48 R 41.39

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.68 R 44.69

114.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.16 R 19.32

30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.10 R 18.29

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.74 R 29.00

1.72%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.57 R 42.85

12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.38 R 140

21.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.90 R 81.7

101.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.12 R 119

96.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.87 R 31.12

112.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.62 R 26.98

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.74 R 29.00

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.72 R 28.66

26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.54 R 25.59

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.40 R 23.27

13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.25 R 20.75

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.15 R 19.15

7.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.23 R 53.8

22.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.81 R 114

100.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.47 R 24.49

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.95 R 32.55

15.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.48 R 24.74

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.59 R 9.86

115.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.95 R 15.88

115.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$11.88 R 198

-28.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.48 R 24.70

-8.78%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$35.8K R 595.8K

-4.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$34.1K R 568.1K

1.69%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$151 R 2,514

12.43%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$35.84 R 597

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$40.58 R 676

-30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$21.59 R 360

102.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$14.20 R 237

21.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.93 R 98.8

16.53%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$247 R 4,114

222.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,649 R 94.1K

61.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$53.6 R 894

58.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$33.22 R 554

74.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$103 R 1,720

30.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$87.4 R 1,457

11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$400 R 6,667

201.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$372 R 6,197

72.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$746 R 12.4K

171.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$739 R 12.3K

36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$860 R 14.3K

384.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$697 R 11.6K

174.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hermanus: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hermanus

$372 32.6% 42% $270

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hermanus

$196 17.2% 33.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hermanus

$227 19.9% 7.6% $16

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hermanus

$177 15.5% 4.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hermanus

$125 10.9% 26.1% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hermanus

$11 * 1% 87.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hermanus

$33 2.9% 41.9% $24

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $400 in Hermanus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $35 in Hermanus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $196 per month, with Hermanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

22:34 10:34 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

56,139

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hermanus 10,840 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hermanus

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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,714 in Hermanus to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $400 in Hermanus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,143 in Hermanus – Hermanus is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,143 in Hermanus versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hermanus but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hermanus 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.