Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vryheid

For one person, living is cheaper in Vryheid: $1,102 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Vryheid
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Vryheid Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Vryheid

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vryheid

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,102 in Vryheid, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Vryheid $1,102

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,725 in Vryheid, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Vryheid $1,725

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,347 in Vryheid, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Vryheid $2,347

Medellin costs about 49% more than Vryheid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Vryheid is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.96 R 133

1.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$39.32 R 655

19.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.07 R 101

56.51%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.77 R 46.11

8.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.14 R 18.96

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.86 R 14.39

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.46 R 41.02

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.53 R 42.11

127.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.25 R 20.87

20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.01 R 16.78

135.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.57 R 26.16

12.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.45 R 40.79

17.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.51 R 142

19.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.34 R 89.1

84.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.51 R 125

86.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.00 R 33.30

98.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.96 R 32.66

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.98 R 33.07

10.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.74 R 29.04

25.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.50 R 25.02

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.39 R 23.19

14.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.23 R 20.46

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.21 R 20.17

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.73 R 62.2

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$4.79 R 79.7

185.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.43 R 23.76

16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.93 R 32.23

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.50 R 24.99

-22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.41 R 6.91

209.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.72 R 11.94

184.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.80 R 130

9.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.52 R 25.38

-11.18%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$35.7K R 595.6K

-4.68%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.5K R 558.8K

3.38%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$147 R 2,455

15.15%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$35.55 R 592

-61.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$39.75 R 662

-29.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$32.91 R 548

32.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$11.11 R 185

54.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.11 R 119

-2.81%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$321 R 5,345

148.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,599 R 126.6K

19.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$54.0 R 900

56.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.14 R 519

86.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$101 R 1,690

33.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$84.0 R 1,400

16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$402 R 6,698

200.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$361 R 6,016

77.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$732 R 12.2K

177.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$750 R 12.5K

34.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$872 R 14.5K

378.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$700 R 11.7K

172.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.78

-7.13%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vryheid: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Vryheid

$361 32.8% 43.7% $281

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Vryheid

$199 18.1% 32.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Vryheid

$223 20.2% 5.4% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Vryheid

$140 12.7% 17.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Vryheid

$122 11.1% 27.9% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Vryheid

$10 * 0.9% 89.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Vryheid

$47 4.3% 18.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $402 in Vryheid. 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 $39 in Vryheid. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $199 – making Vryheid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Vryheid

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

150,012

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Vryheid 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Vryheid

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 Vryheid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,653 in Vryheid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vryheid, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $39 in Vryheid. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,102 in Vryheid. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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