Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,421 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
Learn more

Auckland Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,421 in Auckland versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Auckland $2,421
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,382 in Auckland versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Auckland $3,382
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,343 in Auckland versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Auckland $4,343
Medellin $3,186

Living in Auckland is roughly 48% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 78% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.26 NZ$25.32

$8.09 COP 26.1K

76.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 NZ$119

$47.05 COP 151.7K

42.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 NZ$16.20

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-4.00%

Cappuccino

$3.47 NZ$6.17

$3.01 COP 9,722

15.28%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.62

$1.80 COP 5,801

13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.41 COP 4,554

24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 NZ$12.05

$3.18 COP 10.2K

113.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 NZ$12.03

$5.75 COP 18.5K

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.51 COP 4,869

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$2.38 COP 7,667

-8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.77 COP 5,712

3.39%

Eggs

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$2.89 COP 9,320

113.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.93

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.73

$9.87 COP 31.8K

1.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 NZ$31.47

$13.99 COP 45.1K

26.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.70

$1.55 COP 5,005

34.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.46

$2.18 COP 7,039

40.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.15

$2.18 COP 7,041

162.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$1.96 COP 6,328

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.74

$1.59 COP 5,125

-3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$1.15 COP 3,694

77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.24 COP 4,009

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.07 NZ$48.06

$3.96 COP 12.8K

583.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 NZ$18.13

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.10

$1.66 COP 5,352

72.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$6.00

$2.26 COP 7,281

49.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.17 COP 3,766

64.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

$77.4 COP 249.5K

58.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$1.27 COP 4,089

80.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

$2.05 COP 6,603

-1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 NZ$57.4

$8.55 COP 27.6K

278.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.35 COP 4,343

35.56%

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

$27.2K NZ$48.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-20.08%

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

$22.2K NZ$39.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-36.11%

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

$184 NZ$327

$170 COP 547.0K

8.71%

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

$26.77 NZ$47.53

$13.55 COP 43.7K

97.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 NZ$91.5

$28.07 COP 90.5K

83.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 NZ$74.7

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-3.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 NZ$32.50

$17.19 COP 55.4K

6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 NZ$21.62

$6.91 COP 22.3K

76.27%

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

$1,063 NZ$1,888

$797 COP 2.6M

33.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

114.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 NZ$143

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-5.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 NZ$70.8

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 NZ$165

$135 COP 435.2K

-31.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$200

$97.9 COP 315.6K

15.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 NZ$2,256

$1,208 COP 3.9M

5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 NZ$2,153

$642 COP 2.1M

89.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 NZ$3,945

$2,028 COP 6.5M

9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NZ$2,943

$1,012 COP 3.3M

63.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,413 NZ$13.2K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

77.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 NZ$9,638

$1,910 COP 6.2M

184.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,958 NZ$5,251

$657 COP 2.1M

350.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

10.94

-50.91%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 47.1% $571

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$344 14.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 13.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$263 10.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 19.6% $51

Eating Out

Auckland

$246 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$147 6.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15.3% $22

Getting Around

Auckland

$143 5.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 34.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$66 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 13.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Auckland and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Auckland vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

18 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

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 = 2.78 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 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Medellin 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
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

Auckland vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Auckland is about 4.5 times higher, 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: $1,271 in Auckland versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,063 in Auckland versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Auckland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,639 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.