Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,081 in Howick.

Medellin $1,639
Howick $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,676 in Howick.

Medellin $2,413
Howick $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,271 in Howick.

Medellin $3,186
Howick $2,271

Living in Medellin is roughly 52% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Howick is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$8.03 R 133

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$38.85 R 645

21.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.50 R 91.3

72.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.66 R 44.23

13.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.09 R 18.19

65.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.92 R 15.32

53.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.39 R 39.69

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.52 R 41.80

128.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.21 R 20.08

24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.98 R 16.30

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.56 R 25.92

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.34 R 38.88

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$8.23 R 137

23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$5.28 R 87.7

86.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.20 R 120

94.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.99 R 33.03

99.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.88 R 31.24

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.92 R 31.86

13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.70 R 28.22

28.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.49 R 24.76

31.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.46 R 24.33

8.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.21 R 20.17

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.19 R 19.78

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.68 R 61.1

7.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$4.84 R 80.4

182.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.45 R 24.15

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.88 R 31.23

20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.54 R 25.52

-24.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.45 R 7.49

182.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.75 R 12.41

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$7.56 R 126

13.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.37 R 22.68

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$36.1K R 600.3K

-5.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$33.1K R 550.2K

4.67%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$150 R 2,491

13.13%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$15.25 R 253

-11.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$40.18 R 667

-30.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$31.93 R 530

36.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$10.99 R 183

56.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.09 R 118

-2.54%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$309 R 5,141

157.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$7,814 R 129.8K

16.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$54.1 R 899

56.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$30.61 R 508

89.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$98.5 R 1,636

37.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$84.3 R 1,400

16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$395 R 6,567

205.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$366 R 6,078

75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$735 R 12.2K

175.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$734 R 12.2K

37.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$868 R 14.4K

380.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$675 R 11.2K

182.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Howick

$366 33.9% 43% $276

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Howick

$195 18% 34.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Howick

$205 19% 2.8% $5.9

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Howick

$138 12.8% 18.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Howick

$120 11.1% 28.8% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Howick

$10 * 1% 89% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Howick

$46 4.3% 19.9% $11

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 $395 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $39 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $195 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

32,453

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Howick 11,880 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 34% 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 $1,621 in Howick 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 $395 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $309 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,081 in Howick versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Howick but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Howick 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.