Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Uitenhage

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,167 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
Learn more

Uitenhage Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Uitenhage

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,167 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Uitenhage $1,167

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,832 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Uitenhage $1,832

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,497 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Uitenhage $2,497

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.99 R 181

-24.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$43.28 R 713

8.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.88 R 96.9

57.14%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.17 R 35.83

40.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.06 R 17.38

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.73 R 12.00

89.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.68 R 44.15

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.25 R 53.5

71.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.17 R 19.29

28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.81 R 13.36

192.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.52 R 25.02

11.84%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.84 R 46.76

4.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.91 R 147

14.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.35 R 88.2

82.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.73 R 144

59.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.20 R 36.29

87.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.51 R 24.85

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.69 R 27.80

31.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.82 R 29.92

24.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.77 R 29.08

12.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.45 R 23.94

15.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.30 R 21.50

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.02 R 16.84

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.12 R 51.4

24.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$3.68 R 60.6

274.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.28 R 21.16

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.82 R 29.97

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.51 R 24.95

-17.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.60 R 9.82

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.51 R 8.41

321.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$8.68 R 143

-3.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.49 R 24.50

-9.40%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$35.6K R 587.1K

-2.45%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$35.0K R 577.1K

-0.97%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$125 R 2,066

32.91%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$35.55 R 586

-61.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$45.37 R 747

-35.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$30.09 R 496

49.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$12.05 R 199

42.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$10.55 R 174

-33.93%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$179 R 2,955

340.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,248 R 102.9K

44.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$72.6 R 1,196

20.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$38.39 R 632

51.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$114 R 1,873

22.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$96.2 R 1,584

2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$443 R 7,304

131.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$401 R 6,606

54.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$646 R 10.6K

191.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$798 R 13.1K

26.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$897 R 14.8K

344.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$740 R 12.2K

130.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Uitenhage

$401 34.4% 35.3% $219

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Uitenhage

$196 16.8% 34.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Uitenhage

$206 17.7% 1.5% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Uitenhage

$144 12.4% 16.4% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Uitenhage

$159 13.6% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8% 90.3% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Uitenhage

$51 4.4% 13.3% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $443 in Uitenhage. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $43.00 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $196 – making Uitenhage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

103,639

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Uitenhage 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: 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 $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,750 in Uitenhage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uitenhage, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $43.00 in Uitenhage. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% 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 Uitenhage, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Uitenhage it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Uitenhage – 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 Uitenhage. 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.