Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,486 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Southwark
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,486
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,486 per month in Southwark vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Southwark $1,486
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $4,262 per month in Southwark vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Southwark $4,262
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $7,038 per month in Southwark vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Southwark $7,038
  • Medellin $3,199

Southwark is about 9% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southwark and Medellin sit above the global median – Southwark by 10%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.00 £18.76
$8.30 COP 26.3K
201.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$46.91 COP 148.7K
114.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.67 £8.00
$9.24 COP 29.3K
15.48%
Cappuccino
$5.70 £4.28
$3.05 COP 9,676
86.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$1.80 COP 5,707
69.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 £1.95
$1.38 COP 4,382
88.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.29 £6.97
$3.24 COP 10.3K
186.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.28 £6.21
$5.56 COP 17.6K
48.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 £1.44
$1.50 COP 4,760
28.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.54
$2.37 COP 7,508
-13.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.70 COP 5,377
29.41%
Eggs
$4.38 £3.29
$2.96 COP 9,379
47.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.90 £8.93
$10.22 COP 32.4K
16.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.07 £6.80
$9.74 COP 30.9K
-6.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.57 £11.68
$13.90 COP 44.1K
12.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.29
$4.13 COP 13.1K
-26.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.53 COP 4,839
-5.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 £2.24
$2.22 COP 7,052
34.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.52 £2.64
$2.27 COP 7,194
55.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 £1.25
$1.99 COP 6,311
-16.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 £1.34
$1.67 COP 5,285
7.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 £1.02
$1.18 COP 3,742
15.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 £1.39
$1.24 COP 3,919
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.44 £17.59
$3.87 COP 12.3K
505.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.16 £9.12
$13.78 COP 43.7K
-11.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$1.66 COP 5,256
83.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.42
$2.40 COP 7,615
34.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.89 £2.92
$1.24 COP 3,944
213.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$157 £118
$78.2 COP 248.0K
100.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 £3.73
$1.28 COP 4,044
288.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.72 £2.04
$2.15 COP 6,803
26.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.66 £29.75
$8.37 COP 26.5K
373.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.15 £1.62
$1.35 COP 4,288
59.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K £28.4K
$34.8K COP 110.2M
8.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £30.0K
$34.7K COP 110.0M
15.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$335 £251
$167 COP 528.4K
100.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.37 £13.78
$13.62 COP 43.2K
34.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.35 £30.27
$29.12 COP 92.3K
38.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$45.09 COP 143.0K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$18.05 £13.54
$6.97 COP 22.1K
158.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,557 £1,919
$790 COP 2.5M
223.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.4K £22.8K
$9,041 COP 28.7M
236.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.1 £69.9
$87.8 COP 278.4K
6.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.53 £34.91
$58.2 COP 184.4K
-19.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 £77.5
$139 COP 440.7K
-25.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.0 £67.5
$98.9 COP 313.5K
-9.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,307 £1,731
$1,028 COP 3.3M
124.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$620 COP 2.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,586 £4,190
$1,881 COP 6.0M
196.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,792 £2,844
$1,008 COP 3.2M
276.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,988 COP 12.6M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,702 COP 5.4M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Southwark
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,185 £3,140
$663 COP 2.1M
530.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.12
10.94
-53.20%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southwark
$393
Medellin
$209 46.8% $184
Eating Out
Southwark
$386
Medellin
$171 55.7% $215
Groceries & Markets
Southwark
$329
Medellin
$298 9.6% $32
Getting Around
Southwark
$191
Medellin
$95 50.2% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Southwark
$150
Medellin
$173 15.3% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Southwark
$36 *
Medellin
$59 63.5% $23
Accommodation & Living
Southwark
- *
Medellin
$619

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,307 in Southwark versus $1,028 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 531% higher in Southwark, 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 $101 in Southwark versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Southwark
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
11:51 11:51 AM
05:51 5:51 AM
6 h behind Southwark
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,552
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Southwark Medellin 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Southwark
  • 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
Southwark vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Southwark?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,229 per month in Southwark and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Southwark, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Southwark or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Southwark and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Southwark and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,486 in Southwark and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 9%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Southwark or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Southwark, where all-in costs run around $1,486, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Southwark it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Southwark or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Southwark – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Southwark. 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.

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