Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Randburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,058 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Randburg

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,058 in Randburg, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Randburg $1,058

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,714 in Randburg, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Randburg $1,714

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,370 in Randburg, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Randburg $2,370

Medellin costs about 53% more than Randburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Randburg is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.48 R 173

-24.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$43.30 R 713

6.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.35 R 88.2

77.57%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.50 R 41.19

24.40%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.18 R 19.43

55.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.89 R 14.59

55.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.54 R 41.84

20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.11 R 51.3

76.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.33 R 21.87

9.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.14 R 18.79

107.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.77 R 29.09

-5.08%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.73 R 45.04

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.60 R 142

18.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.46 R 90.0

74.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.42 R 122

89.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.11 R 34.83

92.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.67 R 27.54

-10.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.75 R 28.84

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.63 R 26.84

41.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.66 R 27.30

16.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.64 R 26.97

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.22 R 20.15

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.27 R 20.92

-1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.27 R 53.9

22.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.22 R 85.9

155.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.52 R 25.07

11.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.20 R 36.27

7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.31 R 5.18

325.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.89 R 14.63

140.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$14.30 R 236

-40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.49 R 24.49

-12.75%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$36.0K R 593.8K

-22.35%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.5K R 536.0K

8.84%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$150 R 2,479

14.35%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$38.56 R 635

-65.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$37.13 R 612

-22.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$20.40 R 336

121.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$4.63 R 76.3

268.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.04 R 116

-10.80%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$262 R 4,320

193.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,581 R 91.9K

61.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$52.7 R 868

64.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$46.09 R 759

23.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$111 R 1,825

23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$84.9 R 1,399

15.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$313 R 5,159

236.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$298 R 4,914

106.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$617 R 10.2K

206.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$718 R 11.8K

42.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$603 R 9,935

573.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$785 R 12.9K

113.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,879 R 31.0K

-65.28%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for Randburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Randburg

$298 28.2% 51.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Randburg

$205 19.3% 30.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Randburg

$226 21.4% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Randburg

$132 12.5% 22.1% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Randburg

$157 14.9% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Randburg

$4.8 * 0.5% 94.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Randburg

$34 3.3% 40.4% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $313 in Randburg. 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 188% higher in Randburg, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $43.00 in Randburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $205 – making Randburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Randburg

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

335,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Medellin Randburg 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Randburg

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 Randburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,587 in Randburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Randburg, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $43.00 in Randburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Randburg, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Randburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Randburg. 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.