Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina, Australia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,525 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in Ballina vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Ballina $2,525
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ballina vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Ballina $3,645
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,766 per month in Ballina vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Ballina $4,766
Medellin $3,249

Ballina costs about 49% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ballina and Medellin sit above the global median – Ballina by 87%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 A$24.72

$8.34 COP 26.9K

107.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$46.53 COP 150.1K

79.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.04

$9.47 COP 30.5K

11.30%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.79

$3.13 COP 10.1K

29.39%

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

$2.87 A$4.10

$1.77 COP 5,696

62.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.26

$1.42 COP 4,594

60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$10.96

$3.15 COP 10.2K

143.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.70

$5.70 COP 18.4K

31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.53 COP 4,943

75.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 A$4.89

$2.29 COP 7,389

49.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.94 COP 6,273

13.92%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.97

$3.07 COP 9,889

81.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 A$8.80

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-38.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.59

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-8.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.69

$13.96 COP 45.0K

3.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.14

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$1.53 COP 4,929

99.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$2.10 COP 6,786

55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$2.29 COP 7,397

51.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.89

$2.11 COP 6,803

29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.71 COP 5,512

46.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.46 A$4.93

$1.17 COP 3,774

195.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.58 COP 5,096

-1.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.40 A$60.5

$3.91 COP 12.6K

984.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.23

$14.04 COP 45.3K

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.56

$1.76 COP 5,682

161.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 A$7.29

$2.71 COP 8,746

88.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.18 COP 3,805

127.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$76.3 COP 246.0K

8.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 A$4.87

$1.81 COP 5,827

88.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.13 COP 6,867

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.99 A$57.1

$8.13 COP 26.2K

391.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.28 COP 4,113

3.13%

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

$29.3K A$41.8K

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-14.92%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-23.01%

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

$212 A$303

$178 COP 573.2K

19.38%

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

$27.41 A$39.13

$13.89 COP 44.8K

97.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$30.74 COP 99.1K

88.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$79.2

$41.94 COP 135.3K

32.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 A$25.68

$16.80 COP 54.2K

7.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.14

$7.47 COP 24.1K

88.89%

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

$2,118 A$3,023

$790 COP 2.5M

168.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

67.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$110

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-10.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.8

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$138 COP 446.2K

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$98.8 COP 318.7K

23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 A$1,991

$1,341 COP 4.3M

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,723

$667 COP 2.2M

80.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 A$3,247

$1,976 COP 6.4M

15.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 A$2,603

$1,033 COP 3.3M

76.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,839 A$8,334

$4,098 COP 13.2M

42.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,177

$1,940 COP 6.3M

159.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.94

-46.07%

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

Last update for Ballina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.2K 47.8%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 44.7% $540

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$376 14.9%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 18.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$298 11.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 25.3% $75

Eating Out

Ballina

$293 11.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 41.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$163 6.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 5.9% $9.6

Getting Around

Ballina

$105 4.2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 11% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$84 3.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,395 in Ballina versus $1,341 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 $83 in Ballina versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

16 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ballina Medellin 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

Ballina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,787 per month in Ballina and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,395 in Ballina and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $2,118 per month in Ballina and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Ballina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Ballina at $2,525. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.