Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 82.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 125% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 86.9% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 110.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 A$16.87
$6.03 COP 22.7K
97.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 A$114
$33.17 COP 124.8K
142.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 A$15.09
$7.29 COP 27.4K
45.82%
Cappuccino
$3.93 A$5.58
$1.63 COP 6,133
141.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 A$3.92
$1.05 COP 3,947
162.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 A$3.16
$0.77 COP 2,899
189.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.51 A$9.25
$1.73 COP 6,510
276.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.08 A$10.05
$3.18 COP 12.0K
122.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 A$2.45
$1.07 COP 4,015
60.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 A$3.44
$1.31 COP 4,935
85.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 A$3.80
$1.38 COP 5,195
93.48%
Eggs
$4.00 A$5.68
$2.25 COP 8,457
77.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 A$11.14
$4.48 COP 16.9K
75.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 A$13.31
$5.74 COP 21.6K
63.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.90 A$18.31
$8.86 COP 33.3K
45.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.25
$2.24 COP 8,438
33.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.17
$1.06 COP 3,988
110.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 A$3.93
$1.51 COP 5,697
83.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.35 A$10.44
$1.36 COP 5,119
440.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.21 A$3.14
$1.12 COP 4,218
97.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 A$3.14
$1.17 COP 4,400
88.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.18
$0.90 COP 3,395
148.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 A$4.04
$0.84 COP 3,150
239.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.59 A$42.02
$2.26 COP 8,501
1209.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.71 A$16.63
$9.97 COP 37.5K
17.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 A$4.71
$1.18 COP 4,451
181.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 A$5.04
$2.39 COP 8,993
48.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 A$4.49
$0.86 COP 3,233
267.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.3 A$94.2
$41.45 COP 156.0K
59.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.57 A$9.34
$1.47 COP 5,521
346.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.19 A$4.53
$1.95 COP 7,323
63.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.36 A$47.37
$7.76 COP 29.2K
329.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 A$1.65
$0.97 COP 3,640
19.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K A$32.1K
$17.9K COP 67.5M
26.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K A$27.4K
$26.7K COP 100.6M
-27.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 A$211
$81.1 COP 305.2K
83.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.44 A$53.2
$9.40 COP 35.4K
298.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.0 A$83.7
$23.61 COP 88.8K
149.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.92 A$55.3
$25.55 COP 96.1K
52.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.66 A$22.23
$19.29 COP 72.6K
-18.82%
Cinema Ticket
$12.88 A$18.30
$4.10 COP 15.4K
214.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,607 A$2,283
$306 COP 1.2M
425.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K A$17.3K
$5,899 COP 22.2M
106.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.7 A$122
$59.8 COP 225.1K
43.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.1 A$93.8
$31.96 COP 120.3K
106.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 A$141
$103 COP 386.5K
-3.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 A$195
$108 COP 405.9K
27.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 A$1,711
$483 COP 1.8M
149.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,080 A$1,534
$377 COP 1.4M
186.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,045 A$2,904
$822 COP 3.1M
148.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,834 A$2,604
$721 COP 2.7M
154.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,552 A$9,303
$2,784 COP 10.5M
135.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,146 A$7,307
$1,320 COP 5.0M
289.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,603 A$6,536
$538 COP 2.0M
756.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.96
13.43
-48.18%

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

Last update for Cairns: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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