Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bendigo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,008 in Bendigo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Bendigo, Australia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Bendigo
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,008
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bendigo

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 Bendigo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,008 in Bendigo, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Bendigo $2,008

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,978 in Bendigo, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Bendigo $2,978

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,948 in Bendigo, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Bendigo $3,948

Medellin is about 18% cheaper than Bendigo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Bendigo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Bendigo by 48%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$17.37 A$24.60
-53.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$77.1 A$109
-38.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$12.40 A$17.57
-23.39%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$4.08 A$5.78
-26.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$3.10 A$4.39
-41.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$2.58 A$3.66
-45.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$9.97 A$14.12
-68.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$8.66 A$12.27
-33.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.36 A$1.92
11.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.92 A$4.13
-18.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$2.57 A$3.64
-31.13%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$4.73 A$6.71
-38.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$10.70 A$15.15
-4.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$10.04 A$14.23
-1.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$10.55 A$14.95
32.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$3.56 A$5.04
11.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$3.05 A$4.31
-49.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$3.24 A$4.59
-32.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$4.80 A$6.79
-54.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$2.88 A$4.08
-31.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$2.47 A$3.50
-35.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$2.46 A$3.49
-53.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.63 A$2.31
-23.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$44.51 A$63.1
-91.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$10.38 A$14.70
31.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$5.46 A$7.73
-69.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$5.36 A$7.59
-57.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$3.45 A$4.88
-66.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$56.9 A$80.6
36.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$4.12 A$5.84
-69.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.41 A$2.00
45.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$13.84 A$19.61
-38.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.27 A$1.80
6.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$27.6K A$39.1K
23.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$19.7K A$27.9K
76.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$142 A$202
19.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$27.59 A$39.08
-50.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$56.5 A$80.1
-50.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$19.68 A$27.88
-12.65%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$12.70 A$17.99
-45.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$2,154 A$3,051
-63.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$29.9K A$42.3K
-69.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$81.5 A$116
3.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$49.98 A$70.8
15.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$118 A$167
14.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$136 A$192
-27.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,135 A$1,608
6.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$825 A$1,169
-22.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,337 A$1,894
51.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,248 A$1,767
-18.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$4,400 A$6,232
-5.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,892 A$5,514
-50.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Bendigo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,967 A$4,202
-77.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.9
85.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bendigo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Bendigo
$825 28.6% $184
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Bendigo
$361 21.4% $64
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Bendigo
$227 7.2% $15
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Bendigo
$315 85.7% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Bendigo
$173 2.6% $4.4
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Bendigo
$82 12.5% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Bendigo
$25 * 55.8% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,135 in Bendigo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bendigo are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $77 in Bendigo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $361 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇺 Bendigo
🕒 Local time
00:25 12:25 AM
16:25 4:25 PM
16 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
100,649
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Bendigo 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Bendigo

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 Bendigo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Bendigo?
Yes – Bendigo is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,012 in Bendigo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Bendigo?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,135 in Bendigo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Bendigo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $77 in Bendigo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Bendigo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,008 in Bendigo. That makes Medellin about 18% cheaper.
Is $2,500 enough for either Medellin or Bendigo?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,008 in Bendigo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Bendigo?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,008 in Bendigo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bendigo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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