Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Medellin $3,190

Cairns costs about 55% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairns and Medellin sit above the global median – Cairns by 85%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$7.93 COP 25.2K

119.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$46.13 COP 146.3K

107.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$9.50 COP 30.1K

32.84%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$3.11 COP 9,866

36.01%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$1.83 COP 5,800

78.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$1.38 COP 4,360

99.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$3.05 COP 9,672

133.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$5.50 COP 17.4K

52.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$1.45 COP 4,600

26.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$2.36 COP 7,496

13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.68 COP 5,328

50.00%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$2.86 COP 9,077

86.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-11.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$9.53 COP 30.2K

42.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$14.04 COP 44.5K

6.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$4.07 COP 12.9K

2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.50 COP 4,742

89.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$2.17 COP 6,891

70.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$2.31 COP 7,310

155.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.93 COP 6,113

27.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.64 COP 5,196

56.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.13 COP 3,571

151.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.25 COP 3,954

100.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$3.99 COP 12.6K

1015.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$13.35 COP 42.3K

3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$1.70 COP 5,384

114.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$2.37 COP 7,525

121.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

$1.21 COP 3,827

194.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-80.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.32 COP 4,179

90.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$2.14 COP 6,774

-7.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$8.47 COP 26.8K

389.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$1.30 COP 4,114

-5.38%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

10.03%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

15.04%

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

$165 A$238

$172 COP 545.6K

-3.87%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$13.37 COP 42.4K

156.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

125.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-3.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

$17.04 COP 54.0K

60.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$6.28 COP 19.9K

118.95%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$770 COP 2.4M

172.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

56.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$86.4 COP 274.0K

4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$57.1 COP 181.1K

24.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$137 COP 432.9K

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$97.9 COP 310.4K

32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$1,055 COP 3.3M

36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$616 COP 2.0M

98.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$1,892 COP 6.0M

19.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$1,023 COP 3.2M

89.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$4,059 COP 12.9M

58.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$1,678 COP 5.3M

193.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$652 COP 2.1M

578.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

10.94

-42.23%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 49.7% $608

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 27.9% $114

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 44.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 19.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 9.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 18.9% $14

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 124% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $1,055 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 578% higher in Cairns, 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 $96.0 in Cairns versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

15 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Cairns Medellin 15,370 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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

Cairns vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 55% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in Cairns and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $2,501 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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