Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,079 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
Learn more

Secunda Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Secunda

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,079 in Secunda, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Secunda $1,079

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,603 in Secunda, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Secunda $1,603

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,126 in Secunda, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Secunda $2,126

Medellin costs about 57% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Secunda is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$6.06 R 99.4

37.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$30.38 R 498

53.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$5.24 R 85.8

80.73%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.29 R 37.50

36.68%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$0.81 R 13.30

118.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$0.49 R 8.07

189.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$1.10 R 17.98

186.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$1.33 R 21.82

328.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.15 R 18.78

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$0.86 R 14.10

166.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$1.75 R 28.72

10.86%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$2.49 R 40.78

23.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$8.45 R 138

18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$5.15 R 84.3

102.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$7.37 R 121

89.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$1.78 R 29.20

127.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$1.62 R 26.60

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$1.80 R 29.53

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$1.56 R 25.59

46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$1.07 R 17.53

97.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$1.18 R 19.31

44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$1.22 R 19.96

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.32 R 21.60

19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.28 R 53.8

19.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$5.00 R 82.0

180.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$1.58 R 25.81

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$1.95 R 31.98

38.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$1.53 R 25.01

-22.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$0.29 R 4.71

524.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$0.81 R 13.29

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$14.71 R 241

-44.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.53 R 25.06

-16.34%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$34.9K R 571.8K

-1.32%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$35.2K R 576.1K

-2.93%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$152 R 2,490

16.93%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$36.49 R 598

-61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$37.15 R 609

-17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$32.55 R 533

28.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

$12.02 R 197

39.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$7.10 R 116

5.21%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$92.1 R 1,508

758.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$6,120 R 100.3K

100.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$54.1 R 886

59.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$31.49 R 516

88.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$93.5 R 1,531

48.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$81.9 R 1,342

20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$395 R 6,476

239.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$382 R 6,257

74.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$804 R 13.2K

145.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$668 R 10.9K

54.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$761 R 12.5K

438.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

$707 R 11.6K

174.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,430 R 23.4K

-54.82%

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 Secunda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Secunda

$382 35.4% 42.8% $285

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Secunda

$192 17.8% 37.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Secunda

$226 20.9% 1.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Secunda

$105 9.7% 39.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Secunda

$117 10.9% 31.8% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Secunda

$10 * 1% 88.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Secunda

$47 4.3% 17.8% $10

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 $395 in Secunda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Secunda are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $30 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $192 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

40,198

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Secunda 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 57%, 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 $1,619 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Secunda. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,079, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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