Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Welkom

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,051 in Welkom, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Welkom $1,051

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,581 in Welkom, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Welkom $1,581

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,112 in Welkom, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Welkom $2,112

Medellin costs about 61% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Welkom is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.84 R 145

-5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$20.76 R 341

124.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$5.23 R 85.9

81.07%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.29 R 37.59

36.68%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.50 R 8.21

254.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.62 R 10.22

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.22 R 19.99

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.46 R 23.97

290.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.00 R 16.45

53.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.01 R 16.57

126.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.40 R 23.04

38.57%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.79 R 29.30

71.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$6.48 R 106

54.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.44 R 72.8

135.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$4.68 R 76.8

198.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.54 R 25.32

162.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.59 R 26.15

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.77 R 29.11

18.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.23 R 20.18

86.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.12 R 18.45

88.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.22 R 19.97

40.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.87 R 14.26

34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.29 R 21.10

22.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.37 R 38.82

64.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$2.46 R 40.42

470.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.54 R 25.19

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.76 R 28.88

53.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.79 R 29.36

-34.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.31 R 5.17

483.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.82 R 13.40

159.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$14.74 R 242

-44.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.58 R 25.89

-18.99%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$35.3K R 579.6K

-2.51%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$34.0K R 558.2K

0.33%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$153 R 2,515

15.94%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$36.34 R 596

-61.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$36.25 R 595

-15.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$31.57 R 518

32.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$11.70 R 192

43.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.37 R 121

1.36%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$256 R 4,205

208.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,077 R 99.7K

102.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$52.5 R 861

64.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$31.62 R 519

87.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$92.4 R 1,516

49.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$82.7 R 1,357

19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$392 R 6,429

242.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$364 R 5,965

83.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$726 R 11.9K

172.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$726 R 11.9K

42.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$715 R 11.7K

473.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$621 R 10.2K

212.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.34

-3.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 45.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 48% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 1.6% $3.5

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 26.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 32.3% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 87.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 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 $1,341 in Medellin versus $392 in Welkom. 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 $21 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $160 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

64,130

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Welkom 11,540 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 61%, 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 $1,577 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $21 in Welkom. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% 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 $1,051 in Welkom. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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