Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
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Scottburgh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Scottburgh

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,105 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Scottburgh $1,105

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,736 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Scottburgh $1,736

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,368 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Scottburgh $2,368

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

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Scottburgh is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$8.66 R 144

-3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$36.96 R 613

25.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.09 R 101

55.50%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.59 R 43.05

20.85%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$1.10 R 18.28

60.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.82 R 13.53

73.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.35 R 38.98

34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.34 R 38.83

143.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.24 R 20.50

23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$0.96 R 15.91

138.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.49 R 24.70

30.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.29 R 37.98

34.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.04 R 133

24.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.21 R 86.5

100.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.26 R 120

92.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.97 R 32.71

105.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.86 R 30.92

-17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.94 R 32.24

8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.60 R 26.61

43.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.51 R 25.03

39.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.37 R 22.69

24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$1.16 R 19.20

0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.18 R 19.62

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.54 R 58.7

10.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$4.87 R 80.8

188.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.50 R 24.84

17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$2.02 R 33.51

34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$1.88 R 31.26

-37.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$0.44 R 7.24

311.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.71 R 11.73

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.73 R 128

5.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.50 R 24.85

-14.67%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$35.9K R 596.4K

-4.20%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$34.1K R 565.6K

0.12%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$149 R 2,473

19.23%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$38.28 R 635

-63.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$39.10 R 649

-21.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$30.86 R 512

35.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$13.26 R 220

26.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.54 R 125

-0.93%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$311 R 5,166

153.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,387 R 122.6K

66.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$52.5 R 871

64.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$27.25 R 452

117.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$95.5 R 1,584

44.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$83.8 R 1,391

17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$361 R 5,996

271.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$368 R 6,113

81.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$821 R 13.6K

140.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$792 R 13.1K

30.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$759 R 12.6K

439.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$715 R 11.9K

171.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.7

-6.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Scottburgh

$368 33.4% 44.8% $299

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Scottburgh

$193 17.5% 37.1% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Scottburgh

$226 20.5% 1.8% $4.1

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Scottburgh

$143 12.9% 17.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Scottburgh

$117 10.6% 32.3% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Scottburgh

$12 * 1% 87.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Scottburgh

$46 4.2% 19.2% $11

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 $361 in Scottburgh. 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 $37 in Scottburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $193 – making Scottburgh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

23,949

💱 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 = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Scottburgh 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Scottburgh

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 Scottburgh: 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,657 in Scottburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scottburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Scottburgh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Scottburgh, where all-in costs run around $1,105, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Scottburgh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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