Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Randburg and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,058 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Randburg 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 Randburg and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Randburg vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Randburg $1,058
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Randburg vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Randburg $1,714
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,370 per month in Randburg vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Randburg $2,370
Medellin $3,190

Randburg is about 34% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Randburg sits 22% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.48 R 173

$7.93 COP 25.2K

32.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.30 R 713

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-6.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 R 88.2

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-43.68%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.19

$3.11 COP 9,866

-19.61%

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

$1.18 R 19.43

$1.83 COP 5,800

-35.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.59

$1.38 COP 4,360

-35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.84

$3.05 COP 9,672

-16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 R 51.3

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-43.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.87

$1.45 COP 4,600

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.79

$2.36 COP 7,496

-51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.09

$1.68 COP 5,328

5.36%

Eggs

$2.73 R 45.04

$2.86 COP 9,077

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 R 142

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-15.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 R 90.0

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-42.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 R 122

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-47.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.83

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-48.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.54

$1.50 COP 4,742

11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.84

$2.17 COP 6,891

-19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.84

$2.31 COP 7,310

-29.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.30

$1.93 COP 6,113

-13.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 R 26.97

$1.64 COP 5,196

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.13 COP 3,571

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.92

$1.25 COP 3,954

1.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-18.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 R 85.9

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-60.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.70 COP 5,384

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.27

$2.37 COP 7,525

-7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$1.32 COP 4,179

-76.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.63

$2.14 COP 6,774

-58.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$8.47 COP 26.8K

68.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.30 COP 4,114

14.62%

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

$36.0K R 593.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

28.78%

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

$32.5K R 536.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-8.12%

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

$150 R 2,479

$172 COP 545.6K

-12.55%

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

$38.56 R 635

$13.37 COP 42.4K

188.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.13 R 612

$28.73 COP 91.1K

29.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R 336

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-54.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.63 R 76.3

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-72.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 R 116

$6.28 COP 19.9K

12.10%

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

$262 R 4,320

$770 COP 2.4M

-65.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,581 R 91.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-38.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 868

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-39.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.09 R 759

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,825

$137 COP 432.9K

-18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 R 1,399

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 R 5,159

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-70.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 R 4,914

$616 COP 2.0M

-51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 R 10.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-67.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 R 11.8K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-29.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$603 R 9,935

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-85.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-53.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,879 R 31.0K

$652 COP 2.1M

188.02%

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 Randburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Randburg

$298 28.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 106% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Randburg

$226 21.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 5.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Randburg

$205 19.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 44% $90

Eating Out

Randburg

$157 14.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 7.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Randburg

$132 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 28.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Randburg

$34 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 67.7% $23

Getting Around

Randburg

$4.8 * 0.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1865% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Randburg 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 188% higher in Randburg, 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 $43.00 in Randburg versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $295 – making Randburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Randburg

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

7 h behind Randburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

Randburg Medellin 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Randburg
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

Randburg vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,587 per month in Randburg 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 Randburg, 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 $43.00 in Randburg and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% 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 Randburg, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Randburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Randburg – 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 Randburg. 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.