Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,371 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Broken Hill, Australia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Broken Hill
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,371
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Broken Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,371 in Broken Hill.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Broken Hill $2,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,506 in Broken Hill.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Broken Hill $3,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,641 in Broken Hill.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Broken Hill $4,641

Living in Medellin costs roughly 31% less than in Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Broken Hill 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$16.76 A$23.94
-51.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.8K
$83.4 A$119
-43.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$9.11 A$13.01
4.28%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,729
$4.13 A$5.90
-27.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,806
$2.79 A$3.99
-35.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,558
$2.33 A$3.33
-39.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$7.47 A$10.66
-57.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$7.00 A$10.00
-17.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,873
$1.76 A$2.52
-14.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,673
$2.80 A$4.00
-15.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,716
$2.04 A$2.91
-13.24%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,327
$5.54 A$7.91
-47.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$9.62 A$13.74
5.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$10.18 A$14.54
-3.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$16.35 A$23.35
-14.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$4.25 A$6.07
-6.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,009
$2.85 A$4.06
-45.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,044
$2.98 A$4.26
-26.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$4.72 A$6.74
-53.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,333
$3.03 A$4.32
-35.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,129
$2.34 A$3.34
-32.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,696
$2.23 A$3.19
-48.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,012
$1.56 A$2.22
-20.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$48.29 A$69.0
-91.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$15.24 A$21.76
-10.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,356
$4.21 A$6.01
-60.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,286
$5.47 A$7.82
-58.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,769
$2.70 A$3.85
-56.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.7K
$76.7 A$109
0.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,092
$3.77 A$5.39
-66.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,608
$1.80 A$2.57
13.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$44.58 A$63.7
-80.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,346
$1.52 A$2.17
-11.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.9M
$30.7K A$43.9K
10.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$24.5K A$35.0K
41.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.5K
$205 A$293
-17.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$25.11 A$35.87
-46.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$57.2 A$81.6
-50.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.0K
$63.6 A$90.9
-31.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$15.15 A$21.63
13.47%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$13.97 A$19.96
-50.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$2,372 A$3,388
-66.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$21.7K A$30.9K
-57.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.4K
$69.0 A$98.5
22.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.0K
$48.07 A$68.7
20.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.5K
$106 A$151
27.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.8K
$125 A$178
-21.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,594 A$2,277
-24.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$1,070 A$1,528
-40.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$2,252 A$3,216
-9.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,720 A$2,457
-41.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$5,079 A$7,253
-17.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$4,926 A$7,035
-61.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Broken Hill
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
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 Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Broken Hill
$1.1K 66.7% $428
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Broken Hill
$383 28.8% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Broken Hill
$287 36% $76
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Broken Hill
$283 66.8% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Broken Hill
$156 7.5% $13
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Broken Hill
$100 7.1% $6.7
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Broken Hill
$92 59.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $83 in Broken Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $383 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇺 Broken Hill
🕒 Local time
05:37 5:37 AM
21:07 9:07 PM
15 h 30 min ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
17,456
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Broken Hill 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Broken Hill?
Medellin is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,556 in Broken Hill to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Broken Hill?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Broken Hill?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Broken Hill. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Broken Hill?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,371 in Broken Hill – Medellin is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Broken Hill?
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.

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