Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jeffreys Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,045 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Jeffreys Bay
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Jeffreys Bay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jeffreys Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay.

Medellin $1,692
Jeffreys Bay $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,628 in Jeffreys Bay.

Medellin $2,471
Jeffreys Bay $1,628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,212 in Jeffreys Bay.

Medellin $3,249
Jeffreys Bay $2,212

Living in Medellin is roughly 62% more expensive than in Jeffreys Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Jeffreys Bay is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$9.25 R 154

-9.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$27.34 R 456

70.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$5.83 R 97.1

62.44%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.82 R 30.37

71.98%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.77 R 12.85

129.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.69 R 11.44

105.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.98 R 32.92

59.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.97 R 32.86

189.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.17 R 19.54

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.05 R 17.46

118.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.43 R 23.80

35.66%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.79 R 46.54

10.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.59 R 110

51.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.01 R 83.5

108.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.31 R 122

90.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.10 R 34.92

92.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.47 R 24.49

4.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.62 R 26.92

29.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.72 R 28.65

33.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.66 R 27.72

27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.18 R 19.68

44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.22 R 20.34

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.97 R 16.19

62.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.31 R 55.1

18.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$3.85 R 64.2

264.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.27 R 21.23

38.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.79 R 29.85

51.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.66 R 27.64

-28.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.85 R 14.13

112.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.49 R 8.18

334.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.37 R 139

-2.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.41 R 23.50

-9.22%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.4K R 356.4K

61.03%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$17.3K R 287.7K

97.73%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$122 R 2,037

45.38%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$33.96 R 566

-59.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$45.43 R 757

-32.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$32.31 R 538

29.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$6.06 R 101

177.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.02 R 50.4

147.35%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$138 R 2,301

472.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,195 R 103.2K

98.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$71.3 R 1,188

21.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$39.75 R 662

49.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$110 R 1,834

25.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$98.1 R 1,634

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$426 R 7,098

214.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$336 R 5,607

98.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$720 R 12.0K

174.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$718 R 12.0K

43.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$678 R 11.3K

503.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$673 R 11.2K

188.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.94

-8.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jeffreys Bay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Jeffreys Bay

$336 32.2% 49.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Jeffreys Bay

$182 17.4% 40.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Jeffreys Bay

$202 19.3% 9.3% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Jeffreys Bay

$133 12.7% 22.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Jeffreys Bay

$144 13.8% 16.6% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Jeffreys Bay

$9.9 * 1% 89.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Jeffreys Bay

$38 3.7% 32.6% $19

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $426 in Jeffreys Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Jeffreys Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $182 per month, with Jeffreys Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,107

💱 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 = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jeffreys Bay 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jeffreys Bay

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 Jeffreys Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeffreys Bay is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,567 in Jeffreys Bay 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $426 in Jeffreys Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay – Jeffreys Bay is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jeffreys Bay but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Jeffreys Bay 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.