Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,160 in Somerset West, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Somerset West $1,160

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,888 in Somerset West, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Somerset West $1,888

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,615 in Somerset West, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Somerset West $2,615

Medellin costs about 41% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Somerset West is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.23 R 204

-33.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$45.52 R 759

3.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.44 R 90.7

74.63%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.06 R 34.34

46.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.06 R 17.74

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.84 R 14.01

67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.58 R 42.91

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.27 R 54.5

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.03 R 17.13

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.98 R 16.39

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.08 R 34.70

-14.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.28 R 38.00

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.34 R 139

22.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.18 R 86.3

90.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.22 R 154

51.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.81 R 30.23

119.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.89 R 31.47

-17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.74 R 29.00

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.69 R 28.20

28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.51 R 25.23

29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.53 R 25.48

3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.29 R 21.42

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.07 R 17.80

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.39 R 56.5

16.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.89 R 98.1

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.36 R 22.73

22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.75 R 29.17

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.11 R 18.47

5.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$60.4 R 1,007

28.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.59 R 9.81

115.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.54 R 25.72

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$4.94 R 82.4

73.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.42 R 23.68

-4.93%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.3K R 487.5K

16.44%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.4K R 489.1K

18.11%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$82.1 R 1,368

106.71%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.05 R 484

-53.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$40.47 R 674

-30.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$44.16 R 736

-1.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$10.43 R 174

64.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.28 R 121

-5.08%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$251 R 4,175

217.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,596 R 59.9K

153.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$30.99 R 516

173.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.32 R 522

85.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$71.3 R 1,189

89.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$56.3 R 939

73.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$643 R 10.7K

87.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$426 R 7,095

50.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,341 R 22.3K

51.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$937 R 15.6K

8.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,221 R 20.3K

241.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$892 R 14.9K

114.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,418 R 23.6K

-53.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.12

8.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Somerset West

$426 36.7% 33.6% $216

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Somerset West

$200 17.2% 32.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Somerset West

$152 13.1% 28.2% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Somerset West

$166 14.3% 2.2% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Somerset West

$86 7.4% 49.4% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Somerset West

$73 6.3% 21.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Somerset West

$59 5.1% 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $643 in Somerset West. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Somerset West 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 $46 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $200 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

55,166

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Somerset West 10,810 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,740 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Somerset West. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,160 in Somerset West, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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