Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Hillcrest $2,292

Medellin costs about 56% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Hillcrest is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$7.87 R 130

5.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$38.34 R 631

21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.01 R 98.9

57.57%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.71 R 44.65

15.50%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.14 R 18.75

55.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.90 R 14.75

57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.45 R 40.33

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.50 R 41.15

128.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.18 R 19.33

29.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.98 R 16.18

133.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.50 R 24.65

29.33%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.32 R 38.20

32.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.19 R 135

21.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.05 R 83.0

106.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.27 R 120

92.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.29 R 21.28

213.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.93 R 31.68

-20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.95 R 32.02

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.73 R 28.50

32.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.46 R 24.05

44.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.44 R 23.74

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.21 R 19.83

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.14 R 18.76

38.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.71 R 61.0

5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$4.80 R 78.9

192.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.41 R 23.16

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.96 R 32.28

38.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.54 R 25.25

-23.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.44 R 7.16

311.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.71 R 11.64

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.70 R 127

5.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.45 R 23.91

-11.72%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$35.2K R 579.2K

-2.19%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$33.1K R 543.7K

3.27%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$153 R 2,517

16.14%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$35.61 R 586

-60.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$39.04 R 642

-21.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$33.00 R 543

27.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$13.55 R 223

23.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.29 R 120

2.47%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$310 R 5,106

154.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,429 R 122.2K

65.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$51.6 R 849

67.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$27.96 R 460

111.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$97.0 R 1,595

42.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$79.2 R 1,302

24.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$377 R 6,195

256.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$353 R 5,800

89.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$640 R 10.5K

208.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$732 R 12.0K

41.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$764 R 12.6K

436.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$575 R 9,455

237.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.78

-7.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 47.1% $315

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 38.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 2.4% $5.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 19.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 33.2% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 16.4% $9.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Hillcrest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $189 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

15:43 3:43 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hillcrest 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Hillcrest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.