Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Charleville

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,530 in Charleville, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Charleville, Australia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Charleville
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Charleville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,530 in Charleville.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Charleville $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,439 in Medellin versus $3,645 in Charleville.

  • Medellin $2,439
  • Charleville $3,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,759 in Charleville.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Charleville $4,759

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Charleville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 24% above, Charleville 86% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$17.40 A$24.85
-52.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$83.0 A$119
-43.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$10.68 A$15.25
-11.33%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$4.06 A$5.79
-22.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,700
$2.94 A$4.20
-39.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,597
$2.20 A$3.15
-35.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$7.82 A$11.17
-59.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$7.71 A$11.01
-26.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,946
$1.57 A$2.24
-2.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,394
$2.74 A$3.92
-16.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,276
$2.30 A$3.29
-15.65%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,895
$4.86 A$6.94
-36.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$9.16 A$13.08
9.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$9.43 A$13.47
10.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$14.62 A$20.88
-4.51%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$3.81 A$5.44
6.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,932
$2.99 A$4.27
-48.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,791
$3.20 A$4.57
-34.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,402
$4.54 A$6.49
-49.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,807
$2.76 A$3.94
-23.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,515
$2.46 A$3.52
-30.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,776
$2.43 A$3.47
-51.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,099
$1.53 A$2.19
3.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$41.31 A$59.0
-90.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$13.80 A$19.70
1.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,685
$4.69 A$6.70
-62.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,752
$5.10 A$7.28
-46.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,807
$2.83 A$4.03
-58.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.2K
$85.4 A$122
-10.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,831
$3.56 A$5.09
-49.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,871
$1.56 A$2.23
36.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$39.68 A$56.7
-79.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,115
$1.36 A$1.94
-5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$29.9K A$42.7K
15.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$26.3K A$37.6K
29.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.5K
$207 A$296
-14.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$27.37 A$39.09
-49.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.2K
$57.4 A$82.0
-46.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$56.1 A$80.2
-25.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
$18.10 A$25.85
-7.18%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$14.15 A$20.20
-47.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$2,106 A$3,007
-62.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$20.2K A$28.9K
-39.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.6K
$76.0 A$109
13.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.2K
$53.9 A$77.0
9.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.4K
$106 A$152
29.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.9K
$122 A$174
-19.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$1,427 A$2,038
-6.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$1,224 A$1,748
-45.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$2,229 A$3,183
-11.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,840 A$2,627
-43.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$5,743 A$8,201
-28.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$4,962 A$7,086
-60.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Charleville
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Charleville: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Charleville
$1.2K 83.5% $557
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Charleville
$365 18.8% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Charleville
$292 31.3% $70
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Charleville
$295 70.9% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Charleville
$161 6.4% $11
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Charleville
$108 15.6% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Charleville
$84 48.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,427 in Charleville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $83 in Charleville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $365 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇺 Charleville
🕒 Local time
06:04 6:04 AM
21:04 9:04 PM
15 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
3,300
💱 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 Charleville 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Charleville

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 Charleville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Charleville?
Medellin is about 33% 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 $2,538 in Medellin and $3,796 in Charleville 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 Charleville?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,427 in Charleville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Charleville?
All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $2,530 in Charleville – Medellin is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 9% less than in Charleville. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Charleville?
At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,530 in Charleville, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Charleville. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Charleville?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Charleville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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