Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Newcastle, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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 Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Newcastle

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,020 in Newcastle, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Newcastle $1,020

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,627 in Newcastle, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Newcastle $1,627

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,235 in Newcastle, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Newcastle $2,235

Medellin costs about 66% more than Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$9.14 R 150

-8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$36.28 R 597

28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$5.33 R 87.7

77.67%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.28 R 37.49

37.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.03 R 16.87

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.81 R 13.28

75.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.36 R 38.83

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.38 R 55.5

68.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.19 R 19.56

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.10 R 18.08

108.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.34 R 21.97

44.78%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.83 R 30.16

67.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.79 R 112

47.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.97 R 81.8

110.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.43 R 122

87.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$0.84 R 13.89

382.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.03 R 16.87

48.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$0.93 R 15.28

125.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.37 R 22.61

67.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.96 R 15.73

119.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.23 R 20.29

39.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.77 R 12.65

51.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.61 R 10.04

159.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.22 R 53.0

21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$2.93 R 48.14

379.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.37 R 22.56

28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$0.88 R 14.42

207.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.59 R 26.16

-25.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.31 R 5.18

483.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.76 R 12.57

180.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$14.48 R 238

-43.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.53 R 25.23

-16.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$35.8K R 589.4K

-3.87%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$34.1K R 561.5K

0.00%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$154 R 2,534

15.39%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$37.56 R 618

-63.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$36.63 R 603

-16.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$32.65 R 537

28.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$10.38 R 171

61.85%

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

$265 R 4,364

197.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$6,178 R 101.6K

99.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$52.7 R 867

63.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$32.02 R 527

85.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$91.7 R 1,509

50.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$82.1 R 1,351

20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$434 R 7,135

209.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$321 R 5,274

108.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$759 R 12.5K

160.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$751 R 12.4K

37.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$676 R 11.1K

506.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$704 R 11.6K

175.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.34

-3.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Newcastle

$321 31.5% 51.9% $347

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Newcastle

$154 15.1% 49.8% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Newcastle

$228 22.4% 2.6% $5.9

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Newcastle

$142 14% 17.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Newcastle

$116 11.4% 32.4% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Newcastle

$11 * 1% 88.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Newcastle

$47 4.6% 17% $9.7

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 $434 in Newcastle. 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 $36 in Newcastle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $154 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

363,236

💱 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 Newcastle 11,860 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 66%, 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 $1,529 in Newcastle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Newcastle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $36 in Newcastle. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% 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 $1,020 in Newcastle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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