Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bowral

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,461 in Bowral, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
Learn more

Bowral Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bowral

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,461 in Bowral.

Medellin $1,639
Bowral $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,627 in Bowral.

Medellin $2,413
Bowral $3,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,793 in Bowral.

Medellin $3,186
Bowral $4,793

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Bowral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Bowral 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.60 A$22.28

-48.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$89.6 A$128

-47.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.59 A$15.12

-10.29%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.76 A$3.95

9.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.08 A$2.97

-13.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.44 A$2.05

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$8.52 A$12.17

-62.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$9.89 A$14.13

-41.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.49 A$2.13

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$3.09 A$4.42

-22.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$2.50 A$3.57

-29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$5.36 A$7.66

-46.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.74 A$18.20

-20.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.64 A$13.76

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$15.21 A$21.72

-8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.87 A$5.52

2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$3.21 A$4.58

-51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$3.60 A$5.14

-39.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$5.18 A$7.40

-57.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$3.17 A$4.53

-38.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$2.84 A$4.06

-44.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$2.57 A$3.67

-55.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$1.37 A$1.96

-9.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$45.12 A$64.4

-91.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$14.23 A$20.32

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$4.82 A$6.88

-65.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$5.62 A$8.03

-59.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$2.97 A$4.23

-60.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$81.1 A$116

-4.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$3.96 A$5.65

-67.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.64 A$2.34

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$43.97 A$62.8

-80.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.31 A$1.87

3.05%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$27.8K A$39.7K

22.43%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.0K A$37.1K

33.56%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$182 A$261

-7.02%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$26.81 A$38.29

-49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$56.4 A$80.6

-50.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$55.6 A$79.4

-21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$17.64 A$25.19

-2.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$15.43 A$22.04

-55.22%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,372 A$3,387

-66.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$20.2K A$28.8K

-54.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$76.4 A$109

10.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$57.1 A$81.5

1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$108 A$154

25.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$130 A$186

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,408 A$2,010

-14.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,177 A$1,680

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,171 A$3,101

-6.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,848 A$2,639

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,792 A$8,272

-28.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,998 A$7,138

-61.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,177 A$4,538

-79.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.95

83.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bowral: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bowral

$1.2K 47.8% 83.4% $535

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bowral

$394 16% 32.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 25.7% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 56.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bowral

$167 6.8% 1.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bowral

$105 4.3% 12.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bowral

$86 3.5% 50.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,408 in Bowral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bowral pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $90 in Bowral for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $394 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Bowral

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

21:50 9:50 PM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,764

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bowral 14,360 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bowral

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 Bowral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,461 in Bowral, so Medellin is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $1,408 in Bowral. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $2,372 in Bowral. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Bowral. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Bowral. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.