Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,530 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Forbes versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Forbes $2,530
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Forbes versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Forbes $3,647
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Forbes versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Forbes $4,764
Medellin $3,249

Living in Forbes is roughly 50% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.25 A$24.58

$8.34 COP 26.8K

106.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 A$120

$46.53 COP 149.7K

81.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.01

$9.47 COP 30.5K

11.30%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.77

$3.13 COP 10.1K

29.39%

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

$2.90 A$4.13

$1.77 COP 5,681

63.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.42 COP 4,582

56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.04

$3.15 COP 10.1K

146.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 A$10.62

$5.70 COP 18.3K

30.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.53 COP 4,930

-0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.87

$2.29 COP 7,370

18.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.94 COP 6,257

15.46%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.21

$3.07 COP 9,864

64.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 A$13.65

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-4.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 A$13.06

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-12.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.62

$13.96 COP 44.9K

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.26

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-8.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.33

$1.53 COP 4,916

98.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.67

$2.10 COP 6,769

56.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.71

$2.29 COP 7,378

105.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.11 COP 6,785

31.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.41

$1.71 COP 5,498

39.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.32

$1.17 COP 3,764

99.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$1.58 COP 5,083

-3.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.64 A$60.8

$3.91 COP 12.6K

990.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.28

$14.04 COP 45.2K

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.81

$1.76 COP 5,667

171.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.43

$2.71 COP 8,724

92.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 A$3.95

$1.18 COP 3,795

134.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.2 A$121

$76.3 COP 245.4K

11.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.08

$1.81 COP 5,812

96.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.32

$2.13 COP 6,849

-23.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 A$58.2

$8.13 COP 26.2K

401.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.87

$1.28 COP 4,102

3.13%

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

$29.2K A$41.7K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-15.09%

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

$26.1K A$37.2K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-23.45%

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

$212 A$302

$178 COP 571.7K

19.24%

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

$27.83 A$39.66

$13.89 COP 44.7K

100.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.2

$30.74 COP 98.9K

85.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.9

$41.94 COP 134.9K

33.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 A$25.60

$16.80 COP 54.0K

6.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 A$20.20

$7.47 COP 24.0K

89.83%

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

$2,134 A$3,040

$790 COP 2.5M

170.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.5K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

62.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 A$109

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.2

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$152

$138 COP 445.0K

-23.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$98.8 COP 317.8K

24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,976

$1,341 COP 4.3M

3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 A$1,739

$667 COP 2.1M

82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 A$3,183

$1,976 COP 6.4M

13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 A$2,616

$1,033 COP 3.3M

77.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,936 A$8,459

$4,098 COP 13.2M

44.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,932 A$7,028

$1,940 COP 6.2M

154.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.94

-46.07%

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

Last update for Forbes: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.2K 48.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 45.3% $553

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$366 14.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 16.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$297 11.7%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 25.1% $74

Eating Out

Forbes

$292 11.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 40.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$162 6.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 6.5% $10

Getting Around

Forbes

$108 4.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 13.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$84 3.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,386 in Forbes and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Forbes vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

16 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Medellin 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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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

Forbes vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,530 in Forbes and $1,692 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,795 in Forbes and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,386 in Forbes versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,530 per month in Forbes versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 10% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,530 in Forbes, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Forbes. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.