Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Adelaide $2,640
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Adelaide $3,759
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Adelaide $4,878
Medellin $3,199

Living in Adelaide is roughly 63% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$8.30 COP 26.3K

106.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$46.91 COP 148.7K

71.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$9.24 COP 29.3K

25.97%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$3.05 COP 9,676

32.79%

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.80 COP 5,707

54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$1.38 COP 4,382

84.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$3.24 COP 10.3K

140.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$5.56 COP 17.6K

48.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.50 COP 4,760

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.37 COP 7,508

17.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$1.70 COP 5,377

31.76%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$2.96 COP 9,379

92.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$10.22 COP 32.4K

15.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-5.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$13.90 COP 44.1K

36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.53 COP 4,839

98.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$2.22 COP 7,052

63.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$2.27 COP 7,194

122.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$1.99 COP 6,311

60.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$1.67 COP 5,285

47.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.18 COP 3,742

111.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.24 COP 3,919

86.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$3.87 COP 12.3K

1069.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$13.78 COP 43.7K

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$1.66 COP 5,256

232.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$2.40 COP 7,615

146.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$1.24 COP 3,944

158.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$78.2 COP 248.0K

6.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$1.28 COP 4,044

175.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$2.15 COP 6,803

-7.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$8.37 COP 26.5K

271.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.35 COP 4,288

4.44%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-15.63%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.97%

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

$192 A$276

$167 COP 528.4K

15.17%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$13.62 COP 43.2K

88.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

94.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$45.09 COP 143.0K

39.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-18.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$6.97 COP 22.1K

145.91%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$790 COP 2.5M

162.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

57.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-19.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$139 COP 440.7K

-17.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$98.9 COP 313.5K

36.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,028 COP 3.3M

66.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$620 COP 2.0M

106.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$1,881 COP 6.0M

29.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$1,008 COP 3.2M

81.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

153.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$1,702 COP 5.4M

304.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$663 COP 2.1M

477.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

10.94

-45.89%

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

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 51.5% $659

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 28.2% $117

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 42.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 23.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 2.4% $4

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 13.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 39.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 477% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

19:27 7:27 PM

15 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Adelaide Medellin 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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

Adelaide vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Medellin differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 477% higher in Adelaide, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,640 in Adelaide, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.