Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Soweto

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,106 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
Learn more

Soweto Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Soweto

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,106 in Soweto, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Soweto $1,106

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,704 in Soweto, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Soweto $1,704

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,302 in Soweto, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Soweto $2,302

Medellin costs about 48% more than Soweto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Soweto is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$8.94 R 148

-9.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$36.84 R 612

27.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.20 R 86.4

82.69%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.21 R 36.64

36.20%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.04 R 17.35

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.80 R 13.35

76.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.45 R 40.76

29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.81 R 46.71

104.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.16 R 19.29

30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.11 R 18.43

114.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.80 R 29.92

-1.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.51 R 41.74

15.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$8.68 R 144

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$5.08 R 84.4

94.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.35 R 122

90.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.72 R 28.62

130.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.67 R 27.70

-7.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.74 R 28.86

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.57 R 26.04

38.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.13 R 18.82

73.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.20 R 19.88

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.25 R 20.69

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.26 R 20.99

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.32 R 55.2

19.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$5.02 R 83.3

172.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.60 R 26.53

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.91 R 31.73

18.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.53 R 25.46

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.29 R 4.79

337.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.76 R 12.55

169.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$14.33 R 238

-40.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.58 R 26.22

-14.56%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$36.5K R 607.0K

-6.78%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$34.2K R 568.6K

1.29%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$152 R 2,518

11.92%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$37.05 R 615

-63.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$37.83 R 628

-25.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$32.60 R 541

34.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$10.87 R 181

58.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.35 R 122

-5.99%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$251 R 4,163

217.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$5,490 R 91.2K

65.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$54.2 R 900

56.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$32.08 R 533

80.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$92.5 R 1,536

45.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$83.7 R 1,390

17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$388 R 6,445

211.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$371 R 6,155

73.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$732 R 12.2K

177.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$734 R 12.2K

37.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$860 R 14.3K

384.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$696 R 11.6K

174.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.91

0.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Soweto: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Soweto

$371 33.5% 42.2% $271

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Soweto

$195 17.6% 34.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Soweto

$226 20.5% 7.2% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Soweto

$139 12.6% 18.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Soweto

$118 10.7% 30.1% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Soweto

$10 * 0.9% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Soweto

$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 $1,208 in Medellin versus $388 in Soweto. 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 Soweto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $195 – making Soweto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Soweto

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,270,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Soweto 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Soweto

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 Soweto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 48%, 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 $1,659 in Soweto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Soweto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 53% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,106 in Soweto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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