Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Medellin

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 2.6% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 3.2% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 8.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 RĀ 136
$6.03 COPĀ 22.7K
36.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.79 RĀ 705
$33.17 COPĀ 124.8K
29.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 RĀ 94.0
$7.29 COPĀ 27.4K
-21.81%
Cappuccino
$2.13 RĀ 35.08
$1.63 COPĀ 6,133
30.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 RĀ 15.23
$1.05 COPĀ 3,947
-12.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 RĀ 12.14
$0.77 COPĀ 2,899
-3.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 RĀ 28.21
$1.73 COPĀ 6,510
-1.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 RĀ 39.55
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
-24.53%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 RĀ 17.09
$1.07 COPĀ 4,015
-2.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 RĀ 13.62
$1.31 COPĀ 4,935
-36.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 RĀ 24.92
$1.38 COPĀ 5,195
9.42%
Eggs
$2.28 RĀ 37.53
$2.25 COPĀ 8,457
1.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.15 RĀ 118
$4.48 COPĀ 16.9K
59.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.68 RĀ 77.1
$5.74 COPĀ 21.6K
-18.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.87 RĀ 113
$8.86 COPĀ 33.3K
-22.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 RĀ 26.16
$2.24 COPĀ 8,438
-29.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 RĀ 27.86
$1.06 COPĀ 3,988
59.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 RĀ 32.27
$1.51 COPĀ 5,697
29.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 RĀ 27.68
$1.36 COPĀ 5,119
23.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 RĀ 24.27
$1.12 COPĀ 4,218
31.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 RĀ 30.30
$1.17 COPĀ 4,400
57.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 RĀ 21.15
$0.90 COPĀ 3,395
42.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RĀ 15.48
$0.84 COPĀ 3,150
11.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 RĀ 46.80
$2.26 COPĀ 8,501
25.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.57 RĀ 58.9
$9.97 COPĀ 37.5K
-64.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 RĀ 23.02
$1.18 COPĀ 4,451
18.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 RĀ 29.30
$2.39 COPĀ 8,993
-25.52%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 RĀ 45.59
$0.86 COPĀ 3,233
222.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.97 RĀ 296
$41.45 COPĀ 156.0K
-56.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.70 RĀ 28.06
$1.47 COPĀ 5,521
15.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 RĀ 9.22
$1.95 COPĀ 7,323
-71.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 RĀ 67.2
$7.76 COPĀ 29.2K
-47.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 RĀ 19.98
$0.97 COPĀ 3,640
24.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K RĀ 397.4K
$17.9K COPĀ 67.5M
34.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K RĀ 373.0K
$26.7K COPĀ 100.6M
-15.30%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$236 RĀ 3,897
$81.1 COPĀ 305.2K
191.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.29 RĀ 499
$9.40 COPĀ 35.4K
222.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.3 RĀ 960
$23.61 COPĀ 88.8K
146.76%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.72 RĀ 638
$25.55 COPĀ 96.1K
51.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.29 COPĀ 72.6K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.92 RĀ 81.1
$4.10 COPĀ 15.4K
20.00%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 RĀ 2,505
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
-50.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,899 RĀ 80.7K
$5,899 COPĀ 22.2M
-16.95%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 RĀ 1,007
$59.8 COPĀ 225.1K
2.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.83 RĀ 640
$31.96 COPĀ 120.3K
21.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$177 RĀ 2,923
$103 COPĀ 386.5K
72.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 RĀ 1,237
$108 COPĀ 405.9K
-30.43%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 RĀ 3,448
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
-56.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$187 RĀ 3,078
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
-50.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 RĀ 8,370
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
-38.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 RĀ 6,238
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
-47.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$785 RĀ 12.9K
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
-71.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$454 RĀ 7,488
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
-65.58%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$923 RĀ 15.2K
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
71.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
13.43
-14.37%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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