Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,209 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Mackay vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Mackay $2,209
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,489 per month in Mackay vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Mackay $3,489
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,769 per month in Mackay vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Mackay $4,769
Medellin $3,186

Mackay costs about 35% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mackay and Medellin sit above the global median – Mackay by 62%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.49

$8.09 COP 25.4K

112.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 A$108

$47.05 COP 148.0K

61.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 A$17.67

$9.50 COP 29.9K

30.74%

Cappuccino

$4.30 A$6.12

$3.01 COP 9,485

42.86%

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

$3.39 A$4.82

$1.80 COP 5,660

88.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.41 COP 4,443

94.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 A$9.91

$3.18 COP 9,990

119.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.76

$5.75 COP 18.1K

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 A$2.70

$1.51 COP 4,751

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.38 COP 7,480

5.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.02

$1.77 COP 5,573

59.32%

Eggs

$6.02 A$8.56

$2.89 COP 9,093

108.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 A$13.79

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-4.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 A$12.13

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-13.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 A$23.39

$13.99 COP 44.0K

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.25

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-7.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.55 COP 4,883

83.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.26

$2.18 COP 6,867

37.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 A$9.56

$2.18 COP 6,870

208.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.96 COP 6,174

29.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$1.59 COP 5,000

61.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 A$4.61

$1.15 COP 3,604

181.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.43

$1.24 COP 3,911

150.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.23 A$62.9

$3.96 COP 12.5K

1016.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 A$12.28

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-36.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.24 A$7.46

$1.66 COP 5,222

215.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.60

$2.26 COP 7,104

167.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$1.17 COP 3,674

106.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 A$97.8

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-11.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 A$8.35

$1.27 COP 3,989

362.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.05 COP 6,442

0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.28 A$50.2

$8.55 COP 26.9K

312.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$1.35 COP 4,237

-5.93%

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

$27.1K A$38.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-20.38%

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

$35.4K A$50.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

2.22%

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

$235 A$334

$170 COP 533.7K

38.40%

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

$29.32 A$41.69

$13.55 COP 42.6K

116.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.9 A$112

$28.07 COP 88.3K

180.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$74.0

$43.70 COP 137.5K

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.06

$17.19 COP 54.1K

22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$16.46 A$23.40

$6.91 COP 21.7K

138.21%

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

$1,860 A$2,644

$797 COP 2.5M

133.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,747 A$9,593

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-25.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 A$71.1

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-13.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$135 COP 424.6K

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$97.9 COP 307.9K

7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,359

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 A$1,179

$642 COP 2.0M

29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 A$2,706

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-6.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,529

$1,012 COP 3.2M

75.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 A$4,429

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-25.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 A$2,507

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-7.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,517 A$7,844

$657 COP 2.1M

739.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

10.94

-48.54%

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

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mackay

$829 37.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 22.6% $188

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$400 18.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$343 15.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 38.4% $132

Eating Out

Mackay

$300 13.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43.4% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$157 7.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Mackay

$95 4.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1.1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$85 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 32.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $956 in Mackay versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mackay are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mackay versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

15 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

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

Mackay Medellin 14,920 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

Mackay vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mackay is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,314 per month in Mackay and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mackay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $956 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Mackay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mackay and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,209 in Mackay and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,209 in Mackay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mackay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.