Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pretoria and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Pretoria vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Pretoria $1,328
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Pretoria vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Pretoria $2,017
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,707 per month in Pretoria vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Pretoria $2,707
Medellin $3,190

Pretoria is about 18% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Pretoria sits 2% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$7.93 COP 25.2K

14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 R 616

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-18.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 R 87.0

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-44.42%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R 38.34

$3.11 COP 9,866

-25.08%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.83 COP 5,800

-40.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$1.38 COP 4,360

-35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.58

$3.05 COP 9,672

-15.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.5

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-41.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.62

$1.45 COP 4,600

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.63

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.17

$1.68 COP 5,328

5.36%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.00

$2.86 COP 9,077

-10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-19.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-49.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R 123

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-46.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.22

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-57.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.46

$1.50 COP 4,742

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.30

$2.17 COP 6,891

-17.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.66

$2.31 COP 7,310

-29.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.93 COP 6,113

-41.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.39

$1.64 COP 5,196

-28.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.13 COP 3,571

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.97

$1.25 COP 3,954

6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-20.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-62.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.28

$1.70 COP 5,384

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.65

$2.37 COP 7,525

-18.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

$1.21 COP 3,827

297.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

$76.5 COP 242.5K

129.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$1.32 COP 4,179

-76.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$2.14 COP 6,774

-64.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 235

$8.47 COP 26.8K

68.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.03

$1.30 COP 4,114

16.92%

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

$35.1K R 578.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

25.35%

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

$33.3K R 549.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-5.91%

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

$152 R 2,505

$172 COP 545.6K

-11.65%

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

$36.95 R 609

$13.37 COP 42.4K

176.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.42 R 617

$28.73 COP 91.1K

30.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 516

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-30.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-39.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$6.28 COP 19.9K

18.79%

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

$261 R 4,300

$770 COP 2.4M

-66.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,812 R 128.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-13.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-37.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 521

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-44.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R 1,549

$137 COP 432.9K

-31.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,383

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-14.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 R 7,514

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-56.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,610

$616 COP 2.0M

-34.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 R 16.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-48.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 R 12.3K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-26.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-78.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-58.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 R 23.4K

$652 COP 2.1M

117.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.94

3.66%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$401 30.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 53.5% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$226 17.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 5.4% $12

Getting Around

Pretoria

$199 15%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 53.1% $106

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 52.5% $101

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 10.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 17.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 43.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Pretoria versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 118% higher in Pretoria, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Pretoria versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $295 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

7 h behind Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Medellin 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Medellin

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

Pretoria vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,992 per month in Pretoria and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, 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 $37.00 in Pretoria and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in Pretoria and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pretoria – 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 Pretoria. 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.