Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byron Bay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,411 in Byron Bay, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Byron Bay
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Byron Bay Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,411

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,411 in Byron Bay versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Byron Bay $2,411
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Byron Bay versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Byron Bay $3,461
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,512 in Byron Bay versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Byron Bay $4,512
Medellin $3,249

Living in Byron Bay is roughly 42% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Byron Bay 78% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 A$25.43

$8.34 COP 26.9K

111.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 A$114

$46.53 COP 150.3K

70.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 A$16.46

$9.47 COP 30.6K

20.49%

Cappuccino

$3.81 A$5.49

$3.13 COP 10.1K

21.73%

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

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.77 COP 5,705

-20.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.62

$1.42 COP 4,601

76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 A$11.50

$3.15 COP 10.2K

153.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.33

$5.70 COP 18.4K

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.38

$1.53 COP 4,950

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.83

$2.29 COP 7,401

15.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.36

$1.94 COP 6,282

20.10%

Eggs

$4.76 A$6.87

$3.07 COP 9,905

55.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 A$13.36

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-7.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 A$13.61

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-9.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.29 A$20.61

$13.96 COP 45.1K

2.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.98

$4.05 COP 13.1K

2.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.45

$1.53 COP 4,937

101.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.20

$2.10 COP 6,797

38.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 A$7.13

$2.29 COP 7,409

115.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.10

$2.11 COP 6,813

34.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.51

$1.71 COP 5,521

42.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.38

$1.17 COP 3,780

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.58 COP 5,104

-23.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$33.38 A$48.14

$3.91 COP 12.6K

753.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.36

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.52

$1.76 COP 5,690

196.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.15

$2.71 COP 8,760

83.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.93

$1.18 COP 3,811

131.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$122

$76.3 COP 246.4K

11.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 A$4.27

$1.81 COP 5,836

63.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 A$2.61

$2.13 COP 6,878

-15.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.11 A$59.3

$8.13 COP 26.3K

405.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.28 COP 4,119

9.37%

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

$30.0K A$43.2K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-12.95%

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

$24.2K A$34.9K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-29.07%

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

$157 A$227

$178 COP 574.1K

-11.44%

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

$14.04 A$20.26

$13.89 COP 44.9K

1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.48 A$61.3

$30.74 COP 99.3K

38.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.8

$41.94 COP 135.5K

31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 A$25.95

$16.80 COP 54.3K

7.08%

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 A$20.01

$7.47 COP 24.1K

85.68%

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

$2,014 A$2,905

$790 COP 2.6M

154.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K A$18.0K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

1.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 A$102

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-18.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.07 A$30.40

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-64.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$101

$138 COP 446.9K

-49.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$158

$98.8 COP 319.2K

10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$2,019

$1,341 COP 4.3M

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 A$1,770

$667 COP 2.2M

83.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 A$3,272

$1,976 COP 6.4M

14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 A$2,595

$1,033 COP 3.3M

74.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,888 A$8,494

$4,098 COP 13.2M

43.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,008 A$7,224

$1,940 COP 6.3M

158.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,891 A$7,056

$646 COP 2.1M

657.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for Byron Bay: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Byron Bay

$1.2K 50.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 45.6% $560

Groceries & Markets

Byron Bay

$364 15.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 15.5% $56

Eating Out

Byron Bay

$294 12.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 41.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byron Bay

$214 8.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 3.9% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Byron Bay

$122 5.1%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 41.3% $50

Getting Around

Byron Bay

$108 4.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 13.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Byron Bay

$83 3.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Byron Bay and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Byron Bay vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Byron Bay

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

07:53 7:53 AM

16 h behind Byron Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,538

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Byron Bay Medellin 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Byron Bay
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

Byron Bay vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,411 in Byron Bay and $1,692 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Byron Bay is about 7.6 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: $1,400 in Byron Bay versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,411 per month in Byron Bay versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 10% less than in Byron Bay. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Byron Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.