Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,794 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Dunedin versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Dunedin $1,794
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,661 in Dunedin versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Dunedin $2,661
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,527 in Dunedin versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Dunedin $3,527
Medellin $3,190

Living in Dunedin is roughly 11% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 33% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$7.93 COP 25.2K

74.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$46.13 COP 146.3K

33.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$9.50 COP 30.1K

16.32%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.11 COP 9,866

5.47%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$1.83 COP 5,800

10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.38 COP 4,360

47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$3.05 COP 9,672

120.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$5.50 COP 17.4K

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.45 COP 4,600

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$2.36 COP 7,496

-16.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.68 COP 5,328

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$2.86 COP 9,077

101.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$14.04 COP 44.5K

17.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-26.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$1.50 COP 4,742

59.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$2.17 COP 6,891

44.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$2.31 COP 7,310

113.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$1.93 COP 6,113

-4.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.64 COP 5,196

10.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$1.13 COP 3,571

107.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$1.25 COP 3,954

-52.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$3.99 COP 12.6K

419.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.70 COP 5,384

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$2.37 COP 7,525

-49.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$1.21 COP 3,827

-8.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-13.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$1.32 COP 4,179

313.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$8.47 COP 26.8K

226.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.30 COP 4,114

35.38%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-8.65%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-29.73%

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

$111 NZ$196

$172 COP 545.6K

-35.52%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$13.37 COP 42.4K

110.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$28.73 COP 91.1K

82.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$45.24 COP 143.5K

5.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$6.28 COP 19.9K

64.97%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$770 COP 2.4M

-25.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-39.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$97.9 COP 310.4K

35.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-17.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$616 COP 2.0M

21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,023 COP 3.2M

12.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$1,678 COP 5.3M

31.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$652 COP 2.1M

271.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

10.94

-35.37%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 17.8% $133

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 8.2% $26

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 31.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 11.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 18.8% $27

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 22.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 15.5% $11

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 $873 in Dunedin and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 272% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

18 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Medellin 12,340 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

Dunedin vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Medellin differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 272% higher in Dunedin, 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: $873 in Dunedin versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 16% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. 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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.