Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Secunda and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,062 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,062

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Secunda vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Secunda $1,062
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,635 per month in Secunda vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Secunda $1,635
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,208 per month in Secunda vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Secunda $2,208
Medellin $3,186

Secunda is about 35% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 R 101

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-25.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.91 R 516

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-34.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 R 87.3

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-45.05%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$3.01 COP 9,722

-23.26%

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

$0.87 R 14.47

$1.80 COP 5,801

-51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R 8.48

$1.41 COP 4,554

-63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 R 18.00

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.86

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-77.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.63

$1.51 COP 4,869

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.57

$2.38 COP 7,667

-63.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.05

$1.77 COP 5,712

5.08%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.54

$2.89 COP 9,320

-15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 R 138

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-18.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 84.7

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-48.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 R 120

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-48.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.14

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-54.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.99

$1.55 COP 5,005

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.95

$2.18 COP 7,039

-17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.49

$2.18 COP 7,041

-24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.35

$1.96 COP 6,328

-43.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.48

$1.59 COP 5,125

-22.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.68

$1.15 COP 3,694

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.53

$1.24 COP 4,009

8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.21 R 53.6

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-18.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 83.7

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-63.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.71

$1.66 COP 5,352

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.01

$2.26 COP 7,281

-12.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 25.08

$1.17 COP 3,766

28.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.81

$1.27 COP 4,089

-77.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R 12.93

$2.05 COP 6,603

-62.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.85 R 248

$8.55 COP 27.6K

73.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.90

$1.35 COP 4,343

14.81%

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

$36.1K R 603.8K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

6.08%

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

$35.1K R 586.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

1.17%

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

$156 R 2,604

$170 COP 547.0K

-8.12%

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

$37.44 R 625

$13.55 COP 43.7K

176.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.72 R 614

$28.07 COP 90.5K

30.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 R 532

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-27.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-37.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 120

$6.91 COP 22.3K

4.05%

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

$90.1 R 1,505

$797 COP 2.6M

-88.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,501 R 91.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-39.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 R 900

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-36.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 R 544

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-43.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 R 1,546

$135 COP 435.2K

-31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 R 1,385

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-15.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 R 6,711

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-66.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 6,014

$642 COP 2.1M

-43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 R 12.2K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-63.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-26.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-79.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 R 11.7K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-63.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,444 R 24.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

119.77%

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 Secunda: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Secunda

$360 33.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 78.2% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Secunda

$230 21.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 8.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Secunda

$193 18.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 54.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Secunda

$118 11.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 43.4% $51

Eating Out

Secunda

$105 9.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 61.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Secunda

$46 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 24.4% $11

Getting Around

Secunda

$10 * 1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 821% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Secunda versus $1,208 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 in Secunda are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $31 in Secunda versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $297 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Secunda

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

7 h behind Secunda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,198

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Secunda Medellin 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Secunda
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

Secunda vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Secunda and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, 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 $31 in Secunda and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,062, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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