Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,193 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Knysna

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Knysna $2,357

Medellin costs about 42% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Knysna is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$9.44 R 155

-11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$39.22 R 645

18.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$5.80 R 95.4

63.28%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.09 R 34.33

49.76%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.04 R 17.13

70.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.74 R 12.15

91.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.36 R 38.78

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.72 R 44.79

109.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.16 R 19.16

31.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.00 R 16.42

129.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.49 R 24.52

30.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.70 R 44.46

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.56 R 141

16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.87 R 80.2

114.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$8.10 R 133

72.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.63 R 26.88

148.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.46 R 23.97

4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.56 R 25.70

34.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.52 R 24.98

50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.66 R 27.33

27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.43 R 23.60

19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.22 R 20.01

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.02 R 16.84

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.19 R 52.5

22.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$4.72 R 77.7

197.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.19 R 19.53

47.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.46 R 23.97

85.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.79 R 29.43

-34.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.83 R 13.62

118.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.52 R 8.53

309.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.29 R 136

-1.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.47 R 24.21

-12.93%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$23.4K R 384.8K

47.24%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$28.2K R 464.6K

20.87%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$110 R 1,815

61.13%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$32.86 R 541

-57.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$43.51 R 716

-29.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$47.47 R 781

-11.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$10.83 R 178

55.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$8.55 R 141

-12.63%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$176 R 2,900

348.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$5,855 R 96.3K

110.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$41.94 R 690

105.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$33.00 R 543

79.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$107 R 1,766

28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$75.9 R 1,248

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$505 R 8,301

165.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$486 R 8,001

37.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$808 R 13.3K

144.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$794 R 13.1K

30.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$755 R 12.4K

442.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,011 R 16.6K

91.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$940 R 15.5K

-31.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.83

-7.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 27.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 39.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 16% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 17.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 32.6% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 88.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 13.5% $7.7

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 $505 in Knysna. 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 45% higher in Knysna, 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 in Medellin versus $39 in Knysna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $187 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

51,078

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 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 Knysna 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Knysna

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 Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Knysna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,193 in Knysna. That makes Knysna about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Knysna, where all-in costs run around $1,193, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Knysna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.