Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Canterbury $2,127

Medellin costs about 79% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.95 NZ$24.76

-42.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$63.7 NZ$113

-26.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.52 NZ$20.45

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.06 NZ$5.44

-1.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.07 NZ$3.67

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-33.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.94 NZ$7.00

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.09 NZ$10.82

-5.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.93 NZ$3.42

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.69 NZ$3.01

4.73%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$5.53 NZ$9.82

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.34 NZ$14.81

22.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.17 NZ$16.28

7.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$16.50 NZ$29.30

-15.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.91 NZ$5.16

36.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.30 NZ$5.85

-33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$5.19 NZ$9.21

-58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.85 NZ$3.29

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-50.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.59 NZ$1.06

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$21.06 NZ$37.39

-81.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.26 NZ$16.44

47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-48.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.20 NZ$2.13

88.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$5.73 NZ$10.17

-77.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$28.19 NZ$50.1

-69.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.60 NZ$2.84

-15.63%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

19.55%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

49.01%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$113 NZ$201

50.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$29.09 NZ$51.6

-53.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$51.7 NZ$91.8

-45.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.46 NZ$20.34

-39.70%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$590 NZ$1,048

35.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$59.9 NZ$106

41.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$22.35 NZ$39.69

159.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$91.2 NZ$162

47.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$139 NZ$247

-29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$898 NZ$1,595

34.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,733 NZ$4,853

-75.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

173.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Canterbury

$320 35% 7.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 8.2% $17

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 36.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 16.8% $28

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 93.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 60.2% $35

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 $898 in Canterbury. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canterbury are about 4.2 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 $64 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $320 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 Canterbury 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,373 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $64 in Canterbury. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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