Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $979 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
St Francis Bay $979

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,629 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
St Francis Bay $1,629

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,279 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
St Francis Bay $2,279

Medellin costs about 73% more than St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while St Francis Bay is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.81 R 177

-22.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$41.74 R 685

11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$3.53 R 58.0

168.27%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.14 R 35.06

46.26%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.01 R 16.62

75.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.72 R 11.89

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.06 R 33.72

52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.84 R 30.24

209.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$0.94 R 15.43

62.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.00 R 16.33

129.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.50 R 24.64

29.33%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.70 R 44.32

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$7.11 R 117

40.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.22 R 85.7

100.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$8.63 R 142

61.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.18 R 35.71

85.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.46 R 23.93

4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.70 R 27.96

23.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.81 R 29.62

26.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.74 R 28.48

21.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.37 R 22.56

24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.24 R 20.29

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.03 R 16.84

53.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.14 R 51.5

24.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.74 R 77.7

196.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.27 R 20.84

38.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.81 R 29.72

49.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.78 R 29.16

-33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.82 R 13.44

120.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.46 R 7.51

363.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$8.62 R 141

-5.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.31 R 21.44

-2.29%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$21.0K R 344.6K

63.97%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$35.2K R 577.0K

-2.93%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$60.8 R 997

192.56%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$34.39 R 564

-59.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$41.35 R 679

-25.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$28.64 R 470

46.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$12.00 R 197

40.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$9.20 R 151

-18.80%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$179 R 2,934

341.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,135 R 100.7K

100.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$71.9 R 1,179

20.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$39.31 R 645

50.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$112 R 1,842

23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$95.1 R 1,560

3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$420 R 6,891

219.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$308 R 5,056

116.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$834 R 13.7K

136.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$711 R 11.7K

45.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$784 R 12.9K

422.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$648 R 10.6K

199.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.94

-8.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5% 53.8% $359

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4% 38.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

St Francis Bay

$136 14% 38.6% $86

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7% 16.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7% 16.8% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8% 17.3% $9.9

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 $420 in St Francis Bay. 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 $42 in St Francis Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $190 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,910

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin St Francis Bay 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 73%, 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 $1,468 in St Francis Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St Francis Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in St Francis Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Medellin at $1,692. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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