Cape Town vs Medellin: cost of living for digital nomads

Cape Town, South Africa and Medellin, Colombia, line by line from the catalogue: what a month costs, rent, food, coworking, safety and internet. Every figure links back to its source on the city page.

The short version

  • Medellin is about 6% cheaper than Cape Town for a month of nomad living ($1,500 vs $1,600).
  • Both score 6/10 on safety.
  • Internet is faster in Medellin: 100 Mbps typical against 80 Mbps.
  • Cape Town is mediterranean; Medellin is tropical.

Cape Town wins 0 of the measured lines; Medellin wins 6.

LineCape TownMedellin
Monthly total (USD)$1,600$1,500
Rent$720$720
Food$430$380
Transport$60$45
Coworking$130$120
Safety (out of 10)6/106/10
Internet (Mbps)80100
Climatemediterraneantropical
City sizemetrometro
Settingcoastmountain
Nomad score (out of 10)9/1010/10

Compare Cape Town with

Compare Medellin with

Costs are typical monthly figures for one person in USD, from the sources named on each city page; safety and internet are the catalogue's own ratings. Check the city pages for the dates each was last verified.