Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,902 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Ballarat $1,902
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Ballarat $3,035
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Ballarat $4,168
Medellin $3,190

Living in Ballarat is roughly 18% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$7.93 COP 25.2K

123.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$46.13 COP 146.3K

51.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$9.50 COP 30.1K

8.11%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$3.11 COP 9,866

21.86%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$1.83 COP 5,800

61.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.38 COP 4,360

36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$3.05 COP 9,672

98.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$5.50 COP 17.4K

10.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.45 COP 4,600

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.36 COP 7,496

12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$1.68 COP 5,328

38.10%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$2.86 COP 9,077

43.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$10.19 COP 32.3K

3.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$9.53 COP 30.2K

4.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$14.04 COP 44.5K

6.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.50 COP 4,742

101.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.17 COP 6,891

43.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$2.31 COP 7,310

102.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.93 COP 6,113

59.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$1.64 COP 5,196

55.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.13 COP 3,571

107.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.25 COP 3,954

18.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$3.99 COP 12.6K

761.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-5.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.70 COP 5,384

35.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.37 COP 7,525

31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$1.21 COP 3,827

128.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-8.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$1.32 COP 4,179

91.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$2.14 COP 6,774

-37.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$8.47 COP 26.8K

214.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.30 COP 4,114

-9.23%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

1.60%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-26.60%

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

$206 A$296

$172 COP 545.6K

19.45%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$13.37 COP 42.4K

107.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

99.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-30.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-34.39%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$6.28 COP 19.9K

144.90%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$770 COP 2.4M

178.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

235.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$97.9 COP 310.4K

36.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-12.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$616 COP 2.0M

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,023 COP 3.2M

42.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$4,059 COP 12.9M

13.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$1,678 COP 5.3M

105.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$652 COP 2.1M

380.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

10.94

-49.27%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 8.2% $55

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 15.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 26.3% $77

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 39.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 3.5% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 381% 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: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

16 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Ballarat Medellin 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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

Ballarat vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ballarat. 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 381% higher in Ballarat, 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: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. 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 $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat 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 18% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.