Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,182 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 18.4% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 34.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 17.2% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$10.64 R 176

-24.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$41.40 R 683

12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.60 R 92.4

68.39%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$2.28 R 37.63

27.63%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.16 R 19.17

50.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.92 R 15.22

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$2.45 R 40.40

27.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$2.95 R 48.69

88.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.19 R 19.63

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.12 R 18.42

117.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.79 R 29.58

-8.94%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.48 R 40.88

13.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$8.08 R 133

19.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$5.13 R 84.7

81.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$7.81 R 129

72.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.87 R 30.78

113.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.66 R 27.42

-10.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.77 R 29.15

19.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.80 R 29.67

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.49 R 24.53

28.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.50 R 24.71

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.28 R 21.16

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.09 R 17.97

15.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.22 R 53.2

18.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$4.93 R 81.3

165.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.48 R 24.47

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.01 R 33.09

12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$1.60 R 26.39

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$60.7 R 1,001

23.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.09 R 17.98

16.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.98 R 16.23

109.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$7.42 R 122

10.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.49 R 24.63

-14.77%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$35.0K R 578.2K

-23.60%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$31.6K R 521.1K

8.92%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$131 R 2,168

23.43%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$34.71 R 573

-62.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$39.94 R 659

-29.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$33.88 R 559

30.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$11.39 R 188

43.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$7.31 R 121

-16.69%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$225 R 3,715

239.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$5,485 R 90.5K

62.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$52.0 R 858

63.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$33.30 R 549

72.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$99.4 R 1,640

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$87.4 R 1,441

9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$480 R 7,918

114.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$406 R 6,692

49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$935 R 15.4K

92.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$796 R 13.1K

24.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$1,111 R 18.3K

253.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$777 R 12.8K

110.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$1,476 R 24.4K

-57.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.23

-2.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

South Africa

$406 33.6% 32.9% $199

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

South Africa

$196 16.2% 32.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

South Africa

$206 17.1% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

South Africa

$122 10.1% 26.5% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

South Africa

$156 12.9% 6.3% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

South Africa

$73 6.1% 19.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

South Africa

$49 4% 14.2% $8

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

11:57 11:57 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin South Africa 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
South Africa

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

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