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

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 84.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 125.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 82% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 108% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.53 A$16.03
$6.14 COP 22.1K
87.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.7 A$112
$33.05 COP 119.0K
144.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.88 A$15.13
$7.32 COP 26.4K
48.63%
Cappuccino
$3.81 A$5.30
$1.66 COP 5,971
129.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 A$3.84
$1.10 COP 3,977
150.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 A$3.26
$0.78 COP 2,815
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$8.81
$1.71 COP 6,172
270.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 A$9.86
$3.17 COP 11.4K
123.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 A$2.36
$1.11 COP 4,002
53.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 A$3.38
$1.31 COP 4,707
85.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.76 A$3.83
$1.38 COP 4,967
100.00%
Eggs
$3.99 A$5.55
$2.22 COP 7,989
79.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.98 A$11.10
$4.34 COP 15.6K
83.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.10 A$12.65
$5.80 COP 20.9K
56.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.89 A$17.91
$8.98 COP 32.3K
43.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.16
$2.26 COP 8,143
32.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.16
$1.11 COP 4,013
105.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.69 A$3.74
$1.46 COP 5,271
84.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.17 A$9.97
$1.37 COP 4,916
423.36%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 A$3.24
$1.11 COP 3,999
109.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.26
$1.16 COP 4,188
101.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.32 A$3.22
$0.89 COP 3,202
160.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 A$4.18
$0.87 COP 3,116
245.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.25 A$40.65
$2.35 COP 8,473
1144.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.52 A$16.01
$10.86 COP 39.1K
6.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$4.71
$1.20 COP 4,319
182.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 A$5.11
$2.48 COP 8,923
48.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 A$4.38
$0.79 COP 2,835
298.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.5 A$89.7
$40.77 COP 146.8K
58.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 A$9.23
$1.42 COP 5,124
367.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.04 A$4.23
$1.91 COP 6,882
59.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.70 A$46.85
$7.65 COP 27.5K
340.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 A$1.55
$0.97 COP 3,481
15.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K A$31.4K
$18.1K COP 65.2M
24.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.7K A$27.4K
$26.3K COP 94.7M
-24.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 A$209
$81.3 COP 292.8K
85.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.89 A$51.3
$9.63 COP 34.7K
283.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.1 A$83.6
$24.36 COP 87.7K
146.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.91 A$54.1
$26.02 COP 93.7K
49.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.70 A$21.82
$18.92 COP 68.1K
-17.02%
Cinema Ticket
$13.15 A$18.28
$3.89 COP 14.0K
238.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,653 A$2,298
$304 COP 1.1M
443.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K A$17.0K
$5,902 COP 21.3M
107.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.4 A$116
$58.7 COP 211.3K
42.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$92.0
$32.48 COP 116.9K
103.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.2 A$138
$102 COP 366.3K
-2.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$188
$108 COP 389.4K
25.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,194 A$1,660
$474 COP 1.7M
151.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,111 A$1,544
$371 COP 1.3M
199.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,984 A$2,758
$848 COP 3.1M
133.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,864 A$2,591
$716 COP 2.6M
160.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,616 A$9,197
$2,871 COP 10.3M
130.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,160 A$7,173
$1,375 COP 5.0M
275.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,444 A$6,178
$542 COP 1.9M
720.70%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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