Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Soweto Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Soweto

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 8.3% more expensive than Soweto without rent, and 3.4% more expensive with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Medellin is 3.8% cheaper than Soweto without rent, and 0.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.03 COPĀ 22.7K
$8.51 RĀ 140
-29.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.17 COPĀ 124.8K
$33.40 RĀ 550
-0.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.29 COPĀ 27.4K
$4.87 RĀ 80.2
49.69%
Cappuccino
$1.63 COPĀ 6,133
$2.09 RĀ 34.42
-22.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 COPĀ 3,947
$0.99 RĀ 16.31
6.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 COPĀ 2,899
$0.85 RĀ 14.05
-9.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 COPĀ 6,510
$2.21 RĀ 36.43
-21.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
$2.77 RĀ 45.63
14.80%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 COPĀ 4,015
$1.20 RĀ 19.78
-10.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COPĀ 4,935
$1.06 RĀ 17.48
23.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COPĀ 5,195
$1.58 RĀ 26.00
-12.66%
Eggs
$2.25 COPĀ 8,457
$2.38 RĀ 39.20
-5.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.48 COPĀ 16.9K
$7.49 RĀ 123
-40.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.74 COPĀ 21.6K
$4.53 RĀ 74.7
26.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.86 COPĀ 33.3K
$6.57 RĀ 108
34.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 COPĀ 8,438
$1.62 RĀ 26.76
38.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 COPĀ 3,988
$1.46 RĀ 24.02
-27.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 COPĀ 5,697
$1.55 RĀ 25.60
-2.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 COPĀ 5,119
$1.68 RĀ 27.63
-19.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 COPĀ 4,218
$1.32 RĀ 21.71
-15.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 COPĀ 4,400
$1.16 RĀ 19.19
0.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 COPĀ 3,395
$1.04 RĀ 17.18
-13.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 COPĀ 3,150
$0.93 RĀ 15.40
-9.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 COPĀ 8,501
$2.85 RĀ 47.01
-20.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.97 COPĀ 37.5K
$5.04 RĀ 83.1
97.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 COPĀ 4,451
$1.34 RĀ 22.10
-11.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 COPĀ 8,993
$1.61 RĀ 26.48
48.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 COPĀ 3,233
$1.69 RĀ 27.79
-49.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.45 COPĀ 156.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 COPĀ 5,521
$1.15 RĀ 18.97
27.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 COPĀ 7,323
$0.90 RĀ 14.86
116.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.76 COPĀ 29.2K
$3.11 RĀ 51.2
149.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COPĀ 3,640
$1.22 RĀ 20.04
-20.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K COPĀ 67.5M
$19.0K RĀ 313.4K
-5.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K COPĀ 100.6M
$23.5K RĀ 386.7K
13.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.1 COPĀ 305.2K
$120 RĀ 1,982
-32.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.40 COPĀ 35.4K
$36.93 RĀ 609
-74.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.61 COPĀ 88.8K
$37.70 RĀ 621
-37.37%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.55 COPĀ 96.1K
$30.92 RĀ 510
-17.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.29 COPĀ 72.6K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.10 COPĀ 15.4K
$7.17 RĀ 118
-42.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
$200 RĀ 3,299
52.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,899 COPĀ 22.2M
$4,409 RĀ 72.7K
33.80%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 COPĀ 225.1K
$51.1 RĀ 843
17.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.96 COPĀ 120.3K
$31.63 RĀ 521
1.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 COPĀ 386.5K
$88.0 RĀ 1,451
16.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COPĀ 405.9K
$80.2 RĀ 1,322
34.50%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
$358 RĀ 5,903
34.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
$338 RĀ 5,567
11.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
$673 RĀ 11.1K
21.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
$679 RĀ 11.2K
6.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
$882 RĀ 14.5K
215.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
$646 RĀ 10.6K
104.46%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Soweto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
11.51
16.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

Last update for Soweto: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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