Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Blenheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Blenheim: $1,414 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Blenheim
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Blenheim Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Blenheim

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Blenheim

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,414 in Blenheim, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Blenheim $1,414

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,289 in Blenheim, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Blenheim $2,289

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,163 in Blenheim, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Blenheim $3,163

Medellin costs about 16% more than Blenheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Blenheim sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Blenheim by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.11 NZ$25.05

-42.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$67.5 NZ$120

-30.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.08 NZ$14.35

17.57%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.33 NZ$5.91

-9.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.21 NZ$3.92

-18.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.85 NZ$10.38

-45.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.71 NZ$11.91

-14.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.64 NZ$2.91

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.38 NZ$2.45

72.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.06 NZ$1.88

66.98%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$5.47 NZ$9.71

-47.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.98 NZ$12.38

45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.01 NZ$8.90

97.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.35 NZ$18.38

35.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.58 NZ$4.58

53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.80 NZ$4.96

-22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.96 NZ$7.04

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.57 NZ$2.79

24.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.40 NZ$2.48

13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.31 NZ$2.33

-5.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$23.72 NZ$42.11

-83.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$8.18 NZ$14.51

67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.39 NZ$6.02

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.33 NZ$7.68

-47.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.05 NZ$3.64

-42.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$103 NZ$182

-24.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.59 NZ$4.61

-50.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.17 NZ$2.07

75.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$27.98 NZ$49.68

-69.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.57 NZ$2.78

-14.01%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$10.7K NZ$18.9K

219.61%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$17.9K NZ$31.7K

94.04%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$45.60 NZ$81.0

272.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.52 NZ$39.98

-39.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$45.55 NZ$80.9

-38.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$22.87 NZ$40.61

91.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$4.48 NZ$7.95

283.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.00 NZ$8.87

38.20%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$447 NZ$793

78.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$21.8K NZ$38.7K

-58.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$20.09 NZ$35.66

321.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$11.33 NZ$20.12

411.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$99.6 NZ$177

35.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$123 NZ$219

-20.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$679 NZ$1,205

77.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$538 NZ$956

19.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,223 NZ$2,171

65.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,053 NZ$1,869

-3.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,659 NZ$8,271

-10.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,339 NZ$5,927

-42.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,431 NZ$4,316

-72.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.91

85.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Blenheim: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Blenheim

$538 38.1% 16.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Blenheim

$260 18.4% 12.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Blenheim

$114 8% 46.2% $98

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Blenheim

$236 16.7% 39.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Blenheim

$114 8.1% 32.2% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Blenheim

$119 8.4% 27.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Blenheim

$33 2.3% 42.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $679 in Blenheim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Blenheim are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Blenheim. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $260 in Blenheim – so Blenheim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Blenheim

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

28,800

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Blenheim 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Blenheim

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 Blenheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,122 in Blenheim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blenheim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $679 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,414 in Blenheim. That makes Blenheim about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Blenheim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.