Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stilbaai and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,102 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,102 per month in Stilbaai vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,102
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,838 per month in Stilbaai vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,838
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Stilbaai vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Stilbaai $2,574
Medellin $3,249

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

Stilbaai sits 18% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 R 196

$8.34 COP 26.8K

43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.94 R 720

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 R 101

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-35.16%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.44

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-23.00%

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

$1.32 R 21.56

$1.77 COP 5,681

-25.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.28

$1.42 COP 4,582

-30.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 R 50.6

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 R 58.8

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-37.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.29

$1.53 COP 4,930

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.49

$2.29 COP 7,370

-45.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 R 34.93

$1.94 COP 6,257

9.79%

Eggs

$3.08 R 50.5

$3.07 COP 9,864

0.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 R 145

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 R 111

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 R 159

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-30.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.00

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 30.72

$1.53 COP 4,916

22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.61

$2.10 COP 6,769

-19.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.12

$2.29 COP 7,378

-6.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.53

$2.11 COP 6,785

-28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.20

$1.71 COP 5,498

-9.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.15

$1.17 COP 3,764

10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.58 COP 5,083

-25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.7

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-8.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 R 97.4

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-57.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.61

$1.76 COP 5,667

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R 35.94

$2.71 COP 8,724

-19.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 R 26.81

$1.18 COP 3,795

38.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.48

$1.81 COP 5,812

-48.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R 13.79

$2.13 COP 6,849

-60.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 83.4

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-37.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 25.49

$1.28 COP 4,102

21.88%

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

$34.3K R 562.4K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-0.32%

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

$34.2K R 559.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

0.12%

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

$118 R 1,929

$178 COP 571.7K

-33.77%

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

$25.60 R 420

$13.89 COP 44.7K

84.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 R 659

$30.74 COP 98.9K

30.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.77 R 553

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-19.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.44 R 171

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-37.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.93 R 146

$7.47 COP 24.0K

19.54%

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

$301 R 4,930

$790 COP 2.5M

-61.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,205 R 134.4K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-33.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 R 923

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-34.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.06 R 525

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-45.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,974

$138 COP 445.0K

-12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,702

$98.8 COP 317.8K

5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R 6,390

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-70.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 R 5,160

$667 COP 2.1M

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 R 12.8K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 R 13.3K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-21.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$850 R 13.9K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-79.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.3K

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-61.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.94

-0.46%

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

Last update for Stilbaai: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stilbaai

$315 28.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 112% $352

Groceries & Markets

Stilbaai

$224 20.4%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 37% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stilbaai

$184 16.7%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 21.2% $39

Eating Out

Stilbaai

$175 15.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 1.4% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Stilbaai

$141 12.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 22.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Stilbaai

$52 4.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 10.2% $5.3

Getting Around

Stilbaai

$12 * 1.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 699% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Stilbaai versus $1,341 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 $44 in Stilbaai versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $307 – making Stilbaai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

17:43 5:43 PM

7 h behind Stilbaai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stilbaai Medellin 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Stilbaai
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

Stilbaai 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 $1,653 per month in Stilbaai and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Stilbaai and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,102 in Stilbaai and $1,692 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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