Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cranbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,506 in Cranbourne, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Cranbourne, Australia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Cranbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,506
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cranbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,506 in Cranbourne.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Cranbourne $2,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,547 in Cranbourne.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Cranbourne $3,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,587 in Cranbourne.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Cranbourne $4,587

Living in Medellin costs roughly 32% less than in Cranbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Cranbourne 85% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$8.66 A$12.49
-3.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$82.7 A$119
-43.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$12.09 A$17.44
-21.67%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$2.73 A$3.94
14.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$2.75 A$3.97
-35.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$1.67 A$2.41
-14.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$6.89 A$9.94
-54.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$7.63 A$11.00
-25.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$2.68 A$3.87
-42.91%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$3.35 A$4.83
-31.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$3.76 A$5.42
-48.40%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$4.79 A$6.91
-35.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$10.30 A$14.86
-3.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$10.85 A$15.66
-3.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$12.09 A$17.43
15.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$3.22 A$4.65
25.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$3.40 A$4.91
-55.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$4.17 A$6.02
-49.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$3.65 A$5.26
-37.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$3.45 A$4.98
-38.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$2.25 A$3.25
-24.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$1.59 A$2.30
-26.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$1.53 A$2.21
3.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$49.96 A$72.1
-92.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$22.45 A$32.38
-37.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$8.70 A$12.56
-79.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$5.32 A$7.67
-49.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
$1.37 A$1.98
-13.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$85.2 A$123
-10.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$3.55 A$5.11
-49.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$1.47 A$2.12
44.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$24.70 A$35.63
-67.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$1.29 A$1.87
-0.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$29.8K A$43.0K
15.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$26.0K A$37.5K
31.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$264 A$381
-32.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$27.58 A$39.78
-49.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$23.13 A$33.37
32.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
$39.49 A$57.0
6.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$17.69 A$25.52
-5.03%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$8.71 A$12.56
-14.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$2,119 A$3,057
-62.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$20.5K A$29.5K
-39.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$77.3 A$111
11.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$28.43 A$41.01
108.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$106 A$153
30.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$125 A$180
-20.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$1,426 A$2,058
-5.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$1,249 A$1,802
-46.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$2,242 A$3,234
-11.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,832 A$2,643
-43.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$5,948 A$8,579
-31.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$4,924 A$7,103
-60.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cranbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,781 A$2,569
-63.72%
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 Cranbourne: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Cranbourne
$1.2K 87.3% $582
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Cranbourne
$426 38.6% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Cranbourne
$315 41.7% $93
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Cranbourne
$206 19.2% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Cranbourne
$151 12.1% $21
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Cranbourne
$102 8.7% $8.1
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Cranbourne
$57 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,426 in Cranbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cranbourne pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $83 in Cranbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $426 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇺 Cranbourne
🕒 Local time
00:07 12:07 AM
16:07 4:07 PM
16 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
21,281
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Cranbourne 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Cranbourne

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 Cranbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Cranbourne?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,506 in Cranbourne, so Medellin is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 64% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Cranbourne?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,426 in Cranbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and Cranbourne?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $2,119 in Cranbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Cranbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,506 in Cranbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cranbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Cranbourne?
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.
Where should expats move: Medellin or Cranbourne?
Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Cranbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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