Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,275 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,275

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Sun City vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Sun City $1,275
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,947 per month in Sun City vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Sun City $1,947
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,618 per month in Sun City vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Sun City $2,618
Medellin $3,249

Sun City is about 25% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sun City sits 6% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 R 200

$8.34 COP 27.0K

45.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 R 729

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 R 118

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.64

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-23.00%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.77 COP 5,727

-28.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.02

$1.42 COP 4,619

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R 40.70

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R 45.89

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-51.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.10

$1.53 COP 4,969

-12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.50

$2.29 COP 7,429

-45.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.06

$1.94 COP 6,306

-11.86%

Eggs

$2.73 R 44.95

$3.07 COP 9,942

-11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-13.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 R 90.6

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 R 146

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-36.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.28

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-48.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.56

$1.53 COP 4,956

25.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.85

$2.10 COP 6,823

-13.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.22

$2.29 COP 7,437

-9.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.72

$2.11 COP 6,839

-23.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.01

$1.71 COP 5,542

2.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 R 23.66

$1.17 COP 3,794

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.28

$1.58 COP 5,123

-18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 57.9

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-9.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.6

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-57.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 R 30.77

$1.76 COP 5,712

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R 37.41

$2.71 COP 8,793

-16.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 R 30.24

$1.18 COP 3,825

55.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.30

$1.81 COP 5,859

-55.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.14

$2.13 COP 6,904

-56.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.35 R 236

$8.13 COP 26.4K

76.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.28 COP 4,135

22.66%

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

$35.6K R 585.2K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

3.30%

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

$34.0K R 560.0K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-0.27%

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

$226 R 3,724

$178 COP 576.3K

27.36%

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

$39.15 R 644

$13.89 COP 45.0K

181.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.06 R 626

$30.74 COP 99.7K

23.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.91 R 476

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-31.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 R 166

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-40.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 R 142

$7.47 COP 24.2K

15.13%

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

$242 R 3,978

$790 COP 2.6M

-69.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,651 R 125.9K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-37.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 R 986

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-30.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.98 R 740

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,864

$138 COP 448.6K

-18.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$98.8 COP 320.4K

13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R 6,091

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-72.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,102

$667 COP 2.2M

-44.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 R 10.6K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-67.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 R 12.0K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-29.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$705 R 11.6K

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-82.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 R 12.1K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-62.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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 Sun City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City

$371 29.1%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 79.9% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City

$304 23.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 26.8% $81

Groceries & Markets

Sun City

$219 17.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 40.5% $89

Eating Out

Sun City

$174 13.7%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 0.9% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City

$149 11.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 15.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City

$46 3.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 23.4% $11

Getting Around

Sun City

$13 * 1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 632% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $370 in Sun City 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 Sun City versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $307 – making Sun City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sun City

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

7 h behind Sun City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,556

2,486,723

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sun City Medellin 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sun City
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

Sun City vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,913 per month in Sun City 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 Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $370 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 41% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,275 in Sun City and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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