Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,922 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,922 in Gold Coast versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Gold Coast $2,922
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Gold Coast versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Gold Coast $4,497
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,073 in Gold Coast versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Gold Coast $6,073
Medellin $3,186

Living in Gold Coast is roughly 78% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gold Coast 115% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.59

$8.09 COP 25.4K

157.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$149

$47.05 COP 148.0K

122.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 A$15.09

$9.50 COP 29.9K

11.79%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.34

$3.01 COP 9,485

24.92%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$1.80 COP 5,660

57.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$1.41 COP 4,443

74.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 A$11.05

$3.18 COP 9,990

144.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.68

$5.75 COP 18.1K

30.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.51 COP 4,751

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.76

$2.38 COP 7,480

11.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.35

$1.77 COP 5,573

33.33%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.97

$2.89 COP 9,093

69.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.93

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.51

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$20.92

$13.99 COP 44.0K

5.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.61

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.54

$1.55 COP 4,883

105.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$2.18 COP 6,867

59.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$2.18 COP 6,870

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$1.96 COP 6,174

32.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.59 COP 5,000

55.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.48

$1.15 COP 3,604

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.24 COP 3,911

87.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.55 A$64.8

$3.96 COP 12.5K

1050.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.17

$13.68 COP 43.0K

3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.73 A$8.15

$1.66 COP 5,222

245.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.56

$2.26 COP 7,104

197.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$1.17 COP 3,674

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 A$79.7

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-27.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.15

$1.27 COP 3,989

74.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.34

$2.05 COP 6,442

-19.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.90 A$52.5

$8.55 COP 26.9K

331.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.35 COP 4,237

2.22%

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

$29.2K A$41.5K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-14.30%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.23%

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

$218 A$310

$170 COP 533.7K

28.58%

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

$31.16 A$44.31

$13.55 COP 42.6K

129.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.4

$28.07 COP 88.3K

93.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 A$86.3

$43.70 COP 137.5K

38.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.00

$17.19 COP 54.1K

2.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 A$19.20

$6.91 COP 21.7K

95.37%

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

$2,134 A$3,034

$797 COP 2.5M

167.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$17.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.2

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$135 COP 424.6K

-21.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$97.9 COP 307.9K

26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,260

$1,208 COP 3.8M

89.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 A$2,258

$642 COP 2.0M

147.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,278 A$4,662

$2,028 COP 6.4M

61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 A$4,263

$1,012 COP 3.2M

196.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K A$15.4K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

159.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,117 A$10.1K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

272.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

$657 COP 2.1M

526.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

10.94

-47.99%

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

Last update for Gold Coast: 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

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 59.6% $946

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$384 13.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.7% $87

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 10.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$304 10.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 30.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$162 5.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 4.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$88 3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 34.4% $30

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$77 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 20.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Gold Coast and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Gold Coast vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

06:06 6:06 AM

15 h behind Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

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

Gold Coast Medellin 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gold Coast and Medellin differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($2,922 vs $1,639 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Gold Coast is about 6.3 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: $2,293 in Gold Coast versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 28% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,134 in Gold Coast versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,922 in Gold Coast, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Gold Coast. 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, Gold Coast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.