Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balga

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,762 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Balga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Balga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,762 in Balga.

Medellin $1,639
Balga $2,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,828 in Balga.

Medellin $2,413
Balga $3,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,893 in Balga.

Medellin $3,186
Balga $4,893

Living in Medellin costs roughly 41% less than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Balga 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$20.97 A$29.81

-61.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$83.2 A$118

-43.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$11.13 A$15.83

-14.65%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$4.62 A$6.57

-34.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,688

$2.80 A$3.98

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$2.30 A$3.27

-38.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$8.39 A$11.93

-62.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$8.25 A$11.73

-30.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$1.74 A$2.47

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$3.14 A$4.47

-24.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

$1.97 A$2.80

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$5.09 A$7.24

-43.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$9.27 A$13.17

9.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$9.46 A$13.45

4.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$13.74 A$19.53

1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$4.56 A$6.49

-12.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$3.21 A$4.56

-51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

$3.56 A$5.07

-38.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$4.85 A$6.89

-55.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

$2.85 A$4.05

-31.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$1.93 A$2.74

-17.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$2.26 A$3.22

-49.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

$1.34 A$1.90

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$42.17 A$60.0

-90.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$12.46 A$17.71

9.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

$4.35 A$6.19

-61.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$3.52 A$5.00

-35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

$2.67 A$3.80

-56.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

$78.5 A$112

-1.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

$3.61 A$5.14

-64.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$1.39 A$1.98

47.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$41.13 A$58.5

-79.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.35 A$1.92

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

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$29.9K A$42.5K

13.89%

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

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$27.8K A$39.6K

24.49%

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

$170 COP 536.4K

$207 A$294

-17.86%

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

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$33.27 A$47.30

-59.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$63.5 A$90.3

-55.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

$62.6 A$89.0

-30.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

$19.26 A$27.39

-10.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$17.26 A$24.54

-59.97%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$2,271 A$3,228

-64.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$23.7K A$33.8K

-61.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

$78.3 A$111

8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

$63.5 A$90.2

-8.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

$123 A$175

9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

$165 A$234

-40.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,467 A$2,086

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,368 A$1,945

-53.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,000 A$2,843

1.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,781 A$2,532

-43.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$6,422 A$9,130

-35.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,389 A$6,240

-56.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,358 A$4,775

-80.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.96

83.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Balga

$1.4K 49.5% 113% $727

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Balga

$365 13.2% 23% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Balga

$303 11% 43.6% $92

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Balga

$335 12.1% 97.8% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Balga

$193 7% 14.4% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Balga

$100 3.6% 6.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Balga

$97 3.5% 68.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,467 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $83 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $365 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

21:56 9:56 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,685

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Balga 16,930 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Balga

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

Medellin vs Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,762 in Balga, so Medellin is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,467 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $2,271 in Balga. 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 $83 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,762 in Balga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Balga. 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, Balga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.