Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,428 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Johannesburg $1,428

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,226 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Johannesburg $2,226

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,023 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Johannesburg $3,023

Medellin costs about 14% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Johannesburg by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$12.35 R 204

-32.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$46.17 R 761

1.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.42 R 122

24.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.45 R 40.29

24.49%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.28 R 21.09

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.92 R 15.08

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.36 R 38.87

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.82 R 46.43

97.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.37 R 22.51

9.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.26 R 20.81

88.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.72 R 28.37

-1.16%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.76 R 45.42

7.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.96 R 148

14.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.74 R 94.5

69.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.17 R 151

51.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.12 R 35.00

94.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.87 R 30.87

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.83 R 30.17

21.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.06 R 33.92

10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.68 R 27.63

18.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.79 R 29.44

-6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.47 R 24.22

-19.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.31 R 21.66

-5.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.53 R 58.2

9.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.93 R 97.7

132.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.85 R 30.49

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.33 R 38.34

3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.06 R 33.90

-39.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$91.6 R 1,509

-14.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.88 R 14.54

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.87 R 14.41

147.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$14.78 R 243

-43.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.53 R 25.23

-11.76%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$35.7K R 588.6K

-2.70%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$35.2K R 580.5K

-1.57%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$227 R 3,743

-26.64%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$39.37 R 649

-65.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$37.62 R 620

-22.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.85 R 624

19.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$17.16 R 283

0.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.43 R 139

-17.32%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$248 R 4,089

218.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$5,491 R 90.5K

64.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$60.2 R 991

45.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$45.06 R 742

29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$112 R 1,846

24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$112 R 1,849

-11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$519 R 8,550

98.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$416 R 6,861

48.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,068 R 17.6K

76.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$903 R 14.9K

11.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,038 R 17.1K

284.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$763 R 12.6K

123.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,716 R 28.3K

-61.35%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 32.8% $203

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 25.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 45.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 14.1% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 3.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 10.4% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 7.3% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $519 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 159% higher in Johannesburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $46.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $223 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Johannesburg 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 14% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,142 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $46.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,428 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,428 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Johannesburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.