Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Darwin versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Darwin $3,073
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Darwin versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Darwin $4,118
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Darwin $5,163
Medellin $3,186

Living in Darwin is roughly 87% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 126% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.85

$8.09 COP 25.4K

176.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$47.05 COP 148.0K

92.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.16

$9.50 COP 29.9K

19.58%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$3.01 COP 9,485

40.53%

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

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.80 COP 5,660

92.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$1.41 COP 4,443

113.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.76

$3.18 COP 9,990

138.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.77

$5.75 COP 18.1K

31.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.51 COP 4,751

1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$2.38 COP 7,480

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$1.77 COP 5,573

24.29%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$2.89 COP 9,093

54.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.68

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-12.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.82

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-15.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.58

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-36.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.47

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.10

$1.55 COP 4,883

85.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.18 COP 6,867

28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.15

$2.18 COP 6,870

130.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.96 COP 6,174

30.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.59 COP 5,000

44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.93

$1.15 COP 3,604

79.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.24 COP 3,911

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.5

$3.96 COP 12.5K

1045.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.28

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.40

$1.66 COP 5,222

510.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.19

$2.26 COP 7,104

248.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.8

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-37.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$1.27 COP 3,989

190.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$2.05 COP 6,442

-34.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$69.0

$8.55 COP 26.9K

467.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.35 COP 4,237

-1.48%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-12.05%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-3.72%

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

$215 A$305

$170 COP 533.7K

26.45%

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

$33.49 A$47.61

$13.55 COP 42.6K

147.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.7

$28.07 COP 88.3K

117.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$43.70 COP 137.5K

66.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.13

$17.19 COP 54.1K

64.17%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.16

$6.91 COP 21.7K

145.88%

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

$1,939 A$2,756

$797 COP 2.5M

143.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-7.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$84.7 COP 266.5K

0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.2

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-19.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$135 COP 424.6K

-21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$97.9 COP 307.9K

40.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,444

$1,208 COP 3.8M

42.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,430

$642 COP 2.0M

166.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,985

$2,028 COP 6.4M

38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,021

$1,012 COP 3.2M

109.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,363

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-9.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,028

$1,910 COP 6.0M

85.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,005

$657 COP 2.1M

542.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

10.94

-43.88%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 62.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 21.3% $80

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.5% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 31.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 46.2% $49

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 59.1% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,719 in Darwin and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Darwin vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

05:05 5:05 AM

14 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Darwin Medellin 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Darwin is about 6.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,719 in Darwin versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Darwin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $91 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,073 in Darwin, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Darwin. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Darwin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.