Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,040 per month in Ashburton vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ashburton $2,040
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Ashburton vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ashburton $2,892
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,745 per month in Ashburton vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ashburton $3,745
Medellin $3,186

Ashburton costs about 24% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ashburton and Medellin sit above the global median – Ashburton by 50%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.48 NZ$25.74

$8.09 COP 26.1K

78.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$47.05 COP 151.9K

48.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.49

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-2.32%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$3.01 COP 9,735

9.63%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$1.80 COP 5,809

26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.41 COP 4,561

32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$3.18 COP 10.3K

111.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NZ$12.41

$5.75 COP 18.6K

21.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.51 COP 4,876

10.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$2.38 COP 7,678

-24.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.77 COP 5,720

-20.34%

Eggs

$6.04 NZ$10.73

$2.89 COP 9,333

109.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NZ$12.94

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-28.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 NZ$16.83

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$23.95

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-3.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.41

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-37.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.55 COP 5,012

30.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.86

$2.18 COP 7,048

25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.45

$2.18 COP 7,051

40.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$1.96 COP 6,337

-22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.59 COP 5,132

-11.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$1.15 COP 3,699

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$1.24 COP 4,014

3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 NZ$42.73

$3.96 COP 12.8K

507.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 NZ$14.85

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 NZ$6.22

$1.66 COP 5,359

110.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.90

$2.26 COP 7,291

96.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.17 COP 3,771

50.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NZ$161

$77.4 COP 249.8K

17.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$1.27 COP 4,094

96.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$2.05 COP 6,612

-18.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.87 NZ$51.3

$8.55 COP 27.6K

237.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.35 COP 4,349

42.96%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-17.76%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-32.78%

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

$157 NZ$280

$170 COP 547.8K

-7.27%

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

$23.27 NZ$41.36

$13.55 COP 43.8K

71.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.99 NZ$80.0

$28.07 COP 90.6K

60.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.50 NZ$70.2

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-9.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.75

$6.91 COP 22.3K

68.89%

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

$676 NZ$1,202

$797 COP 2.6M

-15.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

137.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NZ$106

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-29.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 NZ$71.5

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-30.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$135 COP 435.8K

-24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$221

$97.9 COP 316.0K

26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 NZ$1,642

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-23.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 NZ$1,687

$642 COP 2.1M

47.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 NZ$3,347

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-7.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,290

$1,012 COP 3.3M

27.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,025 NZ$8,933

$4,170 COP 13.5M

20.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 NZ$6,123

$1,910 COP 6.2M

80.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

10.94

-45.98%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$949 46.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 32.4% $308

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 0.9% $2.8

Eating Out

Ashburton

$248 12.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$226 11.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$147 7.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15.3% $22

Getting Around

Ashburton

$109 5.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 13.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$63 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 8.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Ashburton versus $1,208 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 $70 in Ashburton versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

18 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Medellin 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
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

Ashburton vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,040 in Ashburton, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,060 per month in Ashburton and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,040 in Ashburton and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.