Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,165 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Stellenbosch $1,165

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,913 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Stellenbosch $1,913

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,660 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Stellenbosch $2,660

Medellin costs about 39% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Stellenbosch is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$7.29 R 120

8.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$35.82 R 590

28.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.72 R 77.8

101.27%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.05 R 33.74

51.71%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.00 R 16.52

83.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.77 R 12.67

79.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.70 R 44.51

12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.08 R 50.7

78.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.34 R 22.16

8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.14 R 18.85

107.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.86 R 30.68

-9.68%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.84 R 46.86

0.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.62 R 142

18.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.80 R 95.6

64.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.51 R 124

86.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.74 R 28.67

133.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.47 R 24.14

2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.69 R 27.78

28.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.59 R 26.17

45.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.09 R 17.89

77.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.53 R 25.17

7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.30 R 21.50

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.17 R 19.36

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.52 R 58.1

13.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.17 R 102

116.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.33 R 21.93

27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.18 R 35.91

8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.61 R 10.10

116.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.55 R 25.56

38.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.02 R 82.7

68.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.40 R 23.05

-7.14%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$35.0K R 577.2K

-20.11%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$31.0K R 510.9K

14.21%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$103 R 1,691

67.68%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$28.53 R 470

-53.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$34.28 R 565

-16.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$29.25 R 482

54.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$16.81 R 277

1.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.89 R 146

-29.36%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$264 R 4,351

191.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,389 R 39.4K

277.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$52.1 R 858

65.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$28.72 R 473

98.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$118 R 1,951

15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$90.2 R 1,486

8.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$698 R 11.5K

51.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$488 R 8,038

26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,443 R 23.8K

31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,155 R 19.0K

-11.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,556 R 42.1K

-74.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.7

2.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9% 20.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4% 31.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2% 22.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2% 23.4% $40

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6% 26.5% $45

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7% 91% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 18.6% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $698 in Stellenbosch. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 292% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $202 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

19,068

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Stellenbosch 10,810 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,748 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $36.00 in Stellenbosch. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Stellenbosch. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.