Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in Canberra vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Canberra $2,886
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,020 per month in Canberra vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Canberra $4,020
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Canberra vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Canberra $5,153
Medellin $3,186

Canberra costs about 76% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Canberra and Medellin sit above the global median – Canberra by 112%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 A$29.64

$8.09 COP 26.1K

156.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 A$128

$47.05 COP 151.9K

90.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 A$14.89

$9.50 COP 30.7K

9.79%

Cappuccino

$3.99 A$5.69

$3.01 COP 9,734

32.56%

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

$3.12 A$4.45

$1.80 COP 5,809

73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.77

$1.41 COP 4,560

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.87

$3.18 COP 10.3K

161.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 A$14.43

$5.75 COP 18.6K

75.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.13

$1.51 COP 4,875

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.49

$2.38 COP 7,677

31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.60

$1.77 COP 5,719

42.94%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.60

$2.89 COP 9,332

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 A$18.76

$10.19 COP 32.9K

29.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.24

$9.87 COP 31.9K

1.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 A$21.52

$13.99 COP 45.2K

7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 A$5.75

$3.97 COP 12.8K

1.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.52

$1.55 COP 5,011

104.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.06

$2.18 COP 7,047

62.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.32

$2.18 COP 7,050

135.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$1.96 COP 6,336

64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.04

$1.59 COP 5,131

77.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$1.15 COP 3,698

115.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.24 COP 4,014

12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.06 A$62.9

$3.96 COP 12.8K

1012.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.35

$13.68 COP 44.2K

4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.87

$1.66 COP 5,359

189.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.11

$2.26 COP 7,290

151.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 A$3.62

$1.17 COP 3,770

116.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 A$135

$77.4 COP 249.8K

22.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 A$5.70

$1.27 COP 4,094

214.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.36

$2.05 COP 6,611

-19.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.56 A$60.7

$8.55 COP 27.6K

397.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.90

$1.35 COP 4,348

-1.48%

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

$28.0K A$39.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-17.86%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.17%

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

$184 A$263

$170 COP 547.7K

8.61%

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

$26.57 A$37.92

$13.55 COP 43.7K

96.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 A$79.8

$28.07 COP 90.6K

99.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 A$113

$43.70 COP 141.1K

81.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.81 A$39.70

$17.19 COP 55.5K

61.78%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 A$22.86

$6.91 COP 22.3K

131.84%

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

$2,460 A$3,511

$797 COP 2.6M

208.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

126.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$109

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 A$82.0

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$135 COP 435.7K

-20.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$190

$97.9 COP 316.0K

35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 A$2,496

$1,208 COP 3.9M

44.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 A$2,134

$642 COP 2.1M

133.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 A$4,375

$2,028 COP 6.5M

51.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 A$2,824

$1,012 COP 3.3M

95.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K A$15.8K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

166.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,790 A$11.1K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

307.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,317 A$6,162

$657 COP 2.1M

556.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

10.94

-45.61%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 57.1% $854

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$397 13.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.2% $100

Eating Out

Canberra

$330 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.6% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$267 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$168 5.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 20.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$111 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 48.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,749 in Canberra 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 in Canberra are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Canberra versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

23:14 11:14 PM

16 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Medellin 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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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

Canberra vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,886 in Canberra, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,329 per month in Canberra 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 $1,749 in Canberra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,886 in Canberra and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Canberra at $2,886. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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