Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soweto and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,106 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
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Soweto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in Soweto vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Soweto $1,106
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,704 per month in Soweto vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Soweto $1,704
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,302 per month in Soweto vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Soweto $2,302
Medellin $3,186

Soweto is about 33% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Soweto sits 19% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R 149

$8.09 COP 25.4K

10.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.84 R 614

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-21.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.7

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-45.26%

Cappuccino

$2.21 R 36.76

$3.01 COP 9,485

-26.58%

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

$1.04 R 17.41

$1.80 COP 5,660

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.39

$1.41 COP 4,443

-43.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.89

$3.18 COP 9,990

-22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R 46.86

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-51.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.35

$1.51 COP 4,751

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.49

$2.38 COP 7,480

-53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.01

$1.77 COP 5,573

1.69%

Eggs

$2.51 R 41.87

$2.89 COP 9,093

-13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R 84.7

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-48.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.35 R 122

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-47.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.71

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-56.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.79

$1.55 COP 4,883

7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.96

$2.18 COP 6,867

-20.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.18 COP 6,870

-27.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.88

$1.96 COP 6,174

-42.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.95

$1.59 COP 5,000

-24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.75

$1.15 COP 3,604

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 21.06

$1.24 COP 3,911

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 R 55.4

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-16.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 R 83.6

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-63.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.61

$1.66 COP 5,221

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.83

$2.26 COP 7,103

-15.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.54

$1.17 COP 3,674

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.81

$1.27 COP 3,989

-77.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$2.05 COP 6,442

-62.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 239

$8.55 COP 26.9K

67.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.30

$1.35 COP 4,237

17.04%

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

$36.5K R 609.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

7.28%

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

$34.2K R 570.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-1.27%

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

$152 R 2,526

$170 COP 533.7K

-10.65%

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

$37.05 R 617

$13.55 COP 42.6K

173.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.83 R 630

$28.07 COP 88.3K

34.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 R 543

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-25.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 R 181

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-36.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 122

$6.91 COP 21.7K

6.37%

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

$251 R 4,176

$797 COP 2.5M

-68.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,490 R 91.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-39.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 903

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-36.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.08 R 535

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-44.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 R 1,541

$135 COP 424.6K

-31.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 R 1,394

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-14.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 R 6,466

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-67.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,175

$642 COP 2.0M

-42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-63.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-27.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 R 14.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-79.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$696 R 11.6K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-63.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.94

-0.27%

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

Last update for Soweto: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soweto

$371 33.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 73.1% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soweto

$226 20.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 6.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Soweto

$195 17.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 52.6% $102

Eating Out

Soweto

$139 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 22.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Soweto

$118 10.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 43.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Soweto

$47 4.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 21.7% $10

Getting Around

Soweto

$10 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 817% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $388 in Soweto 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Soweto versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $297 – making Soweto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Soweto

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

7 h behind Soweto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,270,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Soweto Medellin 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Soweto
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

Soweto vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,659 per month in Soweto 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 Soweto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Soweto and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,106 in Soweto and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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