Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury, New Zealand and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Canterbury vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Canterbury $915
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Canterbury vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Canterbury $1,521
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,127 per month in Canterbury vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Canterbury $2,127
Medellin $3,186

Canterbury is about 44% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Canterbury sits 33% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.76

$8.09 COP 26.1K

72.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$47.05 COP 151.7K

35.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 NZ$20.45

$9.50 COP 30.6K

21.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.44

$3.01 COP 9,722

1.66%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.67

$1.80 COP 5,801

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$1.41 COP 4,554

49.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 NZ$7.00

$3.18 COP 10.2K

23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.82

$5.75 COP 18.5K

5.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.51 COP 4,869

47.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$2.38 COP 7,667

-18.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.77 COP 5,712

-4.52%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.89 COP 9,320

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.81

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-18.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-7.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.30

$13.99 COP 45.1K

17.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.16

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-26.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$1.55 COP 5,005

42.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.85

$2.18 COP 7,039

51.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.21

$2.18 COP 7,041

138.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.96 COP 6,328

-5.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.59 COP 5,125

17.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.15 COP 3,694

102.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.06

$1.24 COP 4,009

-52.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.39

$3.96 COP 12.8K

431.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.71

$1.66 COP 5,352

93.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.13

$2.26 COP 7,281

-46.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 NZ$10.17

$1.27 COP 4,089

351.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 NZ$50.1

$8.55 COP 27.6K

229.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.84

$1.35 COP 4,343

18.52%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-16.35%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-32.89%

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

$113 NZ$201

$170 COP 547.0K

-33.35%

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

$29.09 NZ$51.6

$13.55 COP 43.7K

114.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.8

$28.07 COP 90.5K

84.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 NZ$20.34

$6.91 COP 22.3K

65.85%

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

$590 NZ$1,048

$797 COP 2.6M

-25.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-29.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 NZ$39.69

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-61.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 NZ$162

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NZ$247

$97.9 COP 315.6K

42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,595

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 NZ$4,853

$657 COP 2.1M

315.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-63.44%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$320 35%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 7.3% $23

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$194 21.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$141 15.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 20.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 151% $35

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1533% $88

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in Canterbury 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 Canterbury are about 4.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

18 h behind Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canterbury Medellin 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

Canterbury vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Canterbury, $1,639 in Medellin – Canterbury comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Canterbury 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 Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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