Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,102 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Stilbaai

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,102 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Stilbaai $1,102

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,838 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Stilbaai $1,838

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,574 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Stilbaai $2,574

Medellin costs about 54% more than Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Stilbaai is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.99 R 198

-30.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$43.94 R 724

5.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.14 R 101

54.23%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.41 R 39.67

29.88%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.32 R 21.68

34.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.99 R 16.37

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.09 R 50.8

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.59 R 59.1

58.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.36 R 22.41

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.25 R 20.61

83.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.13 R 35.13

-8.92%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$3.08 R 50.8

-0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.83 R 146

13.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.75 R 111

54.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.73 R 160

43.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.83 R 30.17

121.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.88 R 30.90

-18.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.69 R 27.77

24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$2.14 R 35.33

7.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.50 R 24.67

40.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.54 R 25.35

11.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.29 R 21.28

-9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.18 R 19.49

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.58 R 59.0

9.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$5.95 R 98.0

135.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.38 R 22.74

27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.19 R 36.15

23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$1.64 R 26.97

-28.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$0.94 R 15.57

92.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.84 R 13.87

153.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.09 R 83.9

59.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.56 R 25.64

-17.95%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$34.3K R 565.7K

0.32%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$34.2K R 563.2K

-0.12%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$118 R 1,940

50.99%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$25.60 R 422

-45.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$40.19 R 662

-23.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$33.77 R 556

24.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$10.44 R 172

60.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$8.93 R 147

-16.35%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$301 R 4,958

162.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$8,205 R 135.2K

49.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$56.4 R 929

53.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$32.06 R 528

84.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$120 R 1,985

14.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$104 R 1,712

-4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$390 R 6,427

243.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$315 R 5,190

111.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$778 R 12.8K

153.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$813 R 13.4K

27.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$850 R 14.0K

382.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$750 R 12.4K

158.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.89

0.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Stilbaai

$315 28.6% 52.8% $352

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Stilbaai

$224 20.4% 27% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Stilbaai

$184 16.7% 17.5% $39

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Stilbaai

$175 15.9% 1.4% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Stilbaai

$141 12.8% 18.3% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Stilbaai

$12 * 1.1% 87.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Stilbaai

$52 4.7% 9.3% $5.3

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 $390 in Stilbaai. 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 $44 in Stilbaai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $224 – making Stilbaai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

15:22 3:22 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,000

💱 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 = 6.07 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Stilbaai 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, 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 $1,653 in Stilbaai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $44 in Stilbaai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,102 in Stilbaai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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