Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,275 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sun City

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,275 in Sun City, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Sun City $1,275

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,947 in Sun City, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Sun City $1,947

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,618 in Sun City, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Sun City $2,618

Medellin costs about 33% more than Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sun City is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$12.15 R 199

-31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$44.31 R 727

5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.16 R 117

32.26%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.41 R 39.54

29.88%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.27 R 20.78

39.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.91 R 14.98

56.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.47 R 40.59

27.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.79 R 45.77

104.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.34 R 22.04

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.25 R 20.44

83.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.71 R 27.99

13.45%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.73 R 44.84

12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$8.62 R 141

15.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.50 R 90.3

90.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$8.89 R 146

57.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.08 R 34.19

94.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.92 R 31.48

-20.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.81 R 29.77

16.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.08 R 34.13

10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.62 R 26.65

30.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.76 R 28.93

-2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.44 R 23.59

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.29 R 21.22

22.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.52 R 57.8

11.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$5.93 R 97.3

136.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.87 R 30.69

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.27 R 37.31

19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.84 R 30.16

-35.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.81 R 13.27

123.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.92 R 15.10

131.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$14.35 R 236

-43.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.57 R 25.74

-18.47%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$35.6K R 583.7K

-3.19%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$34.0K R 558.5K

0.27%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$226 R 3,714

-21.48%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$39.15 R 642

-64.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$38.06 R 625

-19.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$28.91 R 474

45.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$10.07 R 165

66.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$8.60 R 141

-13.14%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$242 R 3,967

226.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,651 R 125.5K

60.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$59.9 R 983

44.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$44.98 R 738

31.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$113 R 1,859

22.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$112 R 1,844

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$370 R 6,075

262.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$371 R 6,086

79.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$646 R 10.6K

205.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$731 R 12.0K

41.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$705 R 11.6K

480.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$737 R 12.1K

163.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sun City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Sun City

$371 29.1% 44.4% $296

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Sun City

$219 17.2% 28.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Sun City

$304 23.8% 36.5% $81

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Sun City

$174 13.7% 1% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Sun City

$149 11.7% 13.6% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sun City

$13 * 1% 86.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Sun City

$46 3.6% 18.9% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $370 in Sun City. 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 Sun City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $219 – making Sun City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,556

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Medellin Sun City 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, 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 $1,913 in Sun City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $370 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 41% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,275 in Sun City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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