Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Masterton
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$832
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $1,614 in Medellin.

  • Masterton $832
  • Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $2,402 in Medellin.

  • Masterton $1,432
  • Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $3,190 in Medellin.

  • Masterton $2,032
  • Medellin $3,190

Living in Masterton costs roughly 48% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.54 NZ$16.88
$7.93 COP 25.2K
20.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.9 NZ$115
$46.13 COP 146.3K
40.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.56 NZ$15.14
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-9.89%
Cappuccino
$3.18 NZ$5.62
$3.11 COP 9,866
2.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 NZ$3.57
$1.83 COP 5,800
10.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 NZ$1.93
$1.38 COP 4,360
-21.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.89 NZ$6.88
$3.05 COP 9,672
27.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 NZ$5.79
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-40.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 NZ$2.51
$1.45 COP 4,600
-2.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 NZ$3.91
$2.36 COP 7,496
-6.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 NZ$1.82
$1.68 COP 5,328
-38.69%
Eggs
$6.32 NZ$11.17
$2.86 COP 9,077
120.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.29 NZ$14.65
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-18.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 NZ$16.76
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-0.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.18 NZ$26.85
$14.04 COP 44.5K
8.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.85
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-46.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 NZ$3.02
$1.50 COP 4,742
14.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 NZ$5.27
$2.17 COP 6,891
37.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.58 NZ$8.11
$2.31 COP 7,310
98.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 NZ$2.71
$1.93 COP 6,113
-20.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 NZ$1.90
$1.64 COP 5,196
-34.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 NZ$3.00
$1.13 COP 3,571
50.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 NZ$0.92
$1.25 COP 3,954
-58.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.51 NZ$34.50
$3.99 COP 12.6K
388.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.21 NZ$19.83
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-16.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 NZ$1.50
$1.70 COP 5,384
-50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 NZ$2.02
$2.37 COP 7,525
-51.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.23 NZ$3.94
$1.21 COP 3,827
84.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 NZ$3.20
$1.32 COP 4,179
37.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.75 NZ$3.09
$2.14 COP 6,774
-18.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.16 NZ$60.4
$8.47 COP 26.8K
303.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 NZ$3.12
$1.30 COP 4,114
36.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K NZ$39.0K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
-21.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K NZ$43.9K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-29.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.0 NZ$97.3
$172 COP 545.6K
-68.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.34 NZ$51.9
$13.37 COP 42.4K
119.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 NZ$93.3
$28.73 COP 91.1K
83.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.79 NZ$73.9
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-7.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.51 NZ$15.06
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-50.06%
Cinema Ticket
$9.68 NZ$17.12
$6.28 COP 19.9K
54.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,056 NZ$1,868
$770 COP 2.4M
37.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K NZ$22.5K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
41.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 NZ$98.3
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-35.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.59 NZ$48.79
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-51.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 NZ$181
$137 COP 432.9K
-24.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$142 NZ$251
$97.9 COP 310.4K
45.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$616 COP 2.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,002 NZ$1,773
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-47.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Masterton
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,327 NZ$4,115
$652 COP 2.1M
256.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
10.94
-50.73%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Masterton
$288
Medellin
$295 2.2% $6.4
Eating Out
Masterton
$179
Medellin
$168 5.7% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Masterton
$147
Medellin
$170 15.4% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Masterton
$137
Medellin
$214 56.2% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Masterton
$61
Medellin
$58 5.4% $3.3
Getting Around
Masterton
$19 *
Medellin
$93 380% $74
Accommodation & Living
Masterton
- *
Medellin
$616

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 257% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $295, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Masterton
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
05:40 5:40 AM
11:40 11:40 AM
18 h behind Masterton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,800
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Masterton Medellin 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Masterton
  • 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
Masterton vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Masterton?
Masterton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Masterton or Medellin?
Average pay runs 257% higher in Masterton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do food prices compare in Masterton and in Medellin?
Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Masterton and in Medellin?
All in, you'll spend $832 per month in Masterton versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Masterton or in Medellin?
At $832 in Masterton versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Masterton or Medellin more family-friendly?
For families, Masterton is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Masterton or Medellin?
Safety-wise, Masterton 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Masterton vs other spots: cost of living compared

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