Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,513 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,513

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,513 in Albany versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Albany $2,513
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,653 in Albany versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Albany $3,653
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,793 in Albany versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Albany $4,793
Medellin $3,199

Living in Albany is roughly 55% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albany 85% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 A$27.84

$8.30 COP 26.3K

133.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$46.91 COP 148.7K

77.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 A$14.73

$9.24 COP 29.3K

10.82%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.49

$3.05 COP 9,676

47.87%

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

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.80 COP 5,707

31.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.38 COP 4,382

49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 A$12.16

$3.24 COP 10.3K

160.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.56 COP 17.6K

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.50 COP 4,760

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.81

$2.37 COP 7,508

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.26

$1.70 COP 5,377

32.94%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.67

$2.96 COP 9,379

80.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.67

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 A$13.75

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 A$21.10

$13.90 COP 44.1K

5.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 A$6.14

$4.13 COP 13.1K

3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.44

$1.53 COP 4,839

101.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.70

$2.22 COP 7,052

47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.48

$2.27 COP 7,194

98.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.05

$1.99 COP 6,311

41.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.67 COP 5,285

43.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 A$3.04

$1.18 COP 3,742

78.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.24 COP 3,919

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.20 A$59.3

$3.87 COP 12.3K

964.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 A$21.34

$13.78 COP 43.7K

7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 A$6.87

$1.66 COP 5,256

187.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 A$7.39

$2.40 COP 7,615

114.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.05

$1.24 COP 3,944

126.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.2 A$114

$78.2 COP 248.0K

1.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.08

$1.28 COP 4,044

175.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$2.15 COP 6,803

-26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.48 A$56.8

$8.37 COP 26.5K

371.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.35 COP 4,288

-11.85%

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

$27.3K A$39.3K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-21.34%

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

$30.1K A$43.3K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-13.24%

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

$200 A$288

$167 COP 528.4K

20.02%

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

$27.41 A$39.44

$13.62 COP 43.2K

101.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.33 A$68.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

62.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$80.0

$45.09 COP 143.0K

23.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 A$25.14

$17.18 COP 54.5K

1.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 A$20.76

$6.97 COP 22.1K

107.03%

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

$2,179 A$3,136

$790 COP 2.5M

175.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K A$28.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

122.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 A$113

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.4

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-7.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$157

$139 COP 440.7K

-21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$98.9 COP 313.5K

21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 A$1,977

$1,028 COP 3.3M

33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 A$1,732

$620 COP 2.0M

94.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 A$3,065

$1,881 COP 6.0M

13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 A$2,651

$1,008 COP 3.2M

82.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,793 A$8,337

$3,988 COP 12.6M

45.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,841 A$6,966

$1,702 COP 5.4M

184.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,646 A$3,808

$663 COP 2.1M

298.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

10.94

-46.62%

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

Last update for Albany: 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

Albany

$1.2K 47.9%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 48.5% $584

Groceries & Markets

Albany

$372 14.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 19.8% $74

Eating Out

Albany

$314 12.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 45.7% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany

$275 10.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 23.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Albany

$163 6.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 6.2% $10

Getting Around

Albany

$102 4.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 6.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Albany

$84 3.4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 30.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,374 in Albany and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 299% 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: $83.0 in Albany vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albany

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

09:24 9:24 AM

13 h behind Albany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,128

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Albany Medellin 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Albany
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

Albany vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 299% higher in Albany, 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: $1,374 in Albany versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,513 per month in Albany versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 1% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,513 in Albany, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albany 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 55% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.