Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boroko and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Boroko vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Boroko $868
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,259 per month in Boroko vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Boroko $1,259
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,649 per month in Boroko vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Boroko $1,649
Medellin $3,186

Boroko is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Boroko sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 PGK 31.67

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.42 PGK 149

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-26.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.26

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-43.68%

Cappuccino

$2.48 PGK 10.76

$3.01 COP 9,485

-17.61%

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

$0.71 PGK 3.06

$1.80 COP 5,660

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.78

$1.41 COP 4,443

-54.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PGK 11.22

$3.18 COP 9,990

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 PGK 14.85

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-40.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 PGK 6.51

$1.51 COP 4,751

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 PGK 5.02

$2.38 COP 7,480

-51.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PGK 5.03

$1.77 COP 5,573

-34.46%

Eggs

$3.55 PGK 15.40

$2.89 COP 9,093

22.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 PGK 21.65

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-51.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 PGK 20.79

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-51.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 PGK 28.72

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-52.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 PGK 16.70

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.38

$1.55 COP 4,883

98.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 PGK 11.80

$2.18 COP 6,867

24.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 PGK 11.74

$2.18 COP 6,870

23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 PGK 12.24

$1.96 COP 6,174

43.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 PGK 3.65

$1.59 COP 5,000

-47.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 PGK 4.86

$1.15 COP 3,604

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$1.24 COP 3,911

-66.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 PGK 23.53

$3.96 COP 12.5K

36.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PGK 21.52

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-63.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PGK 4.67

$1.66 COP 5,221

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 PGK 6.48

$2.26 COP 7,103

-34.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$1.17 COP 3,674

-64.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.88 PGK 125

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-62.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 PGK 19.11

$1.27 COP 3,989

246.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 PGK 5.83

$2.05 COP 6,442

-34.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 PGK 47.66

$8.55 COP 26.9K

28.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 PGK 3.47

$1.35 COP 4,237

-40.74%

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

$35.7K PGK 155.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

4.77%

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

$17.6K PGK 76.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-49.23%

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

$61.6 PGK 267

$170 COP 533.7K

-63.70%

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

$20.71 PGK 90.0

$13.55 COP 42.6K

52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.1 PGK 357

$28.07 COP 88.3K

192.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 PGK 182

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 PGK 62.1

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-16.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 PGK 28.09

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-6.37%

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

$333 PGK 1,445

$797 COP 2.5M

-58.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,215 PGK 9,621

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-75.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.50 PGK 150

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-59.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.91 PGK 56.1

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-77.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.28 PGK 192

$135 COP 424.6K

-67.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.31 PGK 114

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

176.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PGK 959

$642 COP 2.0M

-65.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,257 PGK 14.1K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

60.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 PGK 947

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-78.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 PGK 1,530

$657 COP 2.1M

-46.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Boroko: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boroko

$221 25.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 191% $421

Groceries & Markets

Boroko

$204 23.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 45.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boroko

$164 18.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 28.5% $47

Eating Out

Boroko

$129 14.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Boroko

$55 6.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Boroko

$53 6.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 218% $116

Getting Around

Boroko

$42 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 124% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,336 in Boroko 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.

Salaries run about 86% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Boroko versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $297 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Boroko

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

15 h behind Boroko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.84 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boroko Medellin 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Boroko
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

Boroko vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 89% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,302 per month in Boroko 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Boroko and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Boroko and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Boroko. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.