Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, New Zealand and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,917 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,917

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,917 in Hamilton versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Hamilton $1,917
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Hamilton versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Hamilton $2,828
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,739 in Hamilton versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Hamilton $3,739
Medellin $3,186

Living in Hamilton is roughly 17% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 41% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 NZ$21.47

$8.09 COP 25.4K

50.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 NZ$131

$47.05 COP 148.0K

58.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 NZ$14.68

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-12.21%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NZ$6.15

$3.01 COP 9,485

15.95%

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

$2.31 NZ$4.07

$1.80 COP 5,660

28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 NZ$4.40

$1.41 COP 4,443

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 NZ$10.70

$3.18 COP 9,990

91.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 NZ$9.87

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.57

$1.51 COP 4,751

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.20

$2.38 COP 7,480

-47.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 NZ$3.41

$1.77 COP 5,573

9.60%

Eggs

$5.52 NZ$9.71

$2.89 COP 9,093

91.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.78 NZ$10.17

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 NZ$12.64

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 NZ$20.60

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-16.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 NZ$4.76

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-31.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 NZ$4.06

$1.55 COP 4,883

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.71

$2.18 COP 6,867

48.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.21 NZ$10.93

$2.18 COP 6,870

184.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.61

$1.96 COP 6,174

4.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$1.59 COP 5,000

-11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.38

$1.15 COP 3,604

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NZ$1.73

$1.24 COP 3,911

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.19 NZ$46.10

$3.96 COP 12.5K

561.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 NZ$18.87

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-21.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.08

$1.66 COP 5,222

142.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 NZ$7.29

$2.26 COP 7,104

83.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 NZ$4.68

$1.17 COP 3,674

127.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 NZ$92.7

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 NZ$6.51

$1.27 COP 3,989

191.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.93

$1.35 COP 4,237

23.70%

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

$28.2K NZ$49.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-17.17%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-35.53%

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

$58.3 NZ$103

$170 COP 533.7K

-65.66%

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

$36.48 NZ$64.2

$13.55 COP 42.6K

169.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 NZ$97.6

$28.07 COP 88.3K

97.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.73 NZ$45.29

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-41.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.98 NZ$51.0

$17.19 COP 54.1K

68.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 NZ$24.52

$6.91 COP 21.7K

101.59%

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

$670 NZ$1,180

$797 COP 2.5M

-15.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K NZ$39.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

146.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NZ$112

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-24.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.93 NZ$68.5

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-32.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 NZ$167

$135 COP 424.6K

-29.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$188

$97.9 COP 307.9K

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NZ$1,918

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-9.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 NZ$1,737

$642 COP 2.0M

53.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,636 NZ$2,879

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 NZ$2,598

$1,012 COP 3.2M

45.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,019 NZ$7,074

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-3.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,525 NZ$7,964

$1,910 COP 6.0M

136.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,678 NZ$4,713

$657 COP 2.1M

307.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

10.94

-37.57%

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

Last update for Hamilton: 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

Hamilton

$987 51.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 35% $346

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$297 15.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Hamilton

$225 11.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 24.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$150 7.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$137 7.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 23.6% $32

Getting Around

Hamilton

$67 * 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 39.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$54 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7.3% $3.9

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 $1,090 in Hamilton and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Hamilton vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $297, with Hamilton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

18 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Medellin 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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

Hamilton vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Hamilton is about 4.1 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: $1,090 in Hamilton versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $670 in Hamilton versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $75 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Hamilton on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.