Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Derby

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,318 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,318 in Derby.

Medellin $1,614
Derby $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $3,507 in Derby.

Medellin $2,402
Derby $3,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $4,696 in Derby.

Medellin $3,190
Derby $4,696

Living in Medellin costs roughly 30% less than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Derby 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$18.32 A$26.25

-56.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$77.8 A$111

-40.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$10.79 A$15.45

-11.96%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$3.96 A$5.67

-21.46%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$3.03 A$4.35

-39.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$1.91 A$2.74

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$7.31 A$10.47

-58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$7.47 A$10.71

-26.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$1.75 A$2.50

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$2.86 A$4.10

-17.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$2.08 A$2.98

-19.23%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$4.62 A$6.62

-38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$9.77 A$13.99

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$8.94 A$12.80

6.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$13.60 A$19.48

3.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.48 A$4.98

16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$2.98 A$4.28

-49.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$3.36 A$4.81

-35.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$4.69 A$6.72

-50.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$2.48 A$3.56

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$2.46 A$3.53

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$2.35 A$3.37

-51.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$1.73 A$2.48

-27.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$40.51 A$58.0

-90.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$15.55 A$22.27

-14.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$4.83 A$6.93

-64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$5.65 A$8.09

-58.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$2.54 A$3.64

-52.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

$87.6 A$125

-12.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$3.03 A$4.35

-56.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$1.55 A$2.22

38.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$37.67 A$54.0

-77.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$1.16 A$1.67

12.07%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$24.0K A$34.4K

16.65%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$30.8K A$44.1K

15.16%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$177 A$253

-2.69%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$24.66 A$35.32

-45.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$59.9 A$85.9

-52.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$48.44 A$69.4

-6.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$15.35 A$21.98

11.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$13.46 A$19.27

-53.34%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$2,070 A$2,965

-62.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$18.4K A$26.4K

-51.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$67.0 A$96.0

28.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$62.2 A$89.1

-8.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$91.0 A$130

49.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$131 A$188

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$1,518 A$2,174

-30.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,048 A$1,501

-41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,154 A$3,086

-12.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,853 A$2,654

-44.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$5,285 A$7,571

-23.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$4,699 A$6,731

-64.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.84

87.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Derby: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Derby

$1K 45.2% 70.2% $432

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Derby

$369 15.9% 25.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Derby

$261 11.3% 22.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Derby

$158 6.8% 6.9% $12

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Derby

$298 12.8% 76.8% $129

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Derby

$109 4.7% 16.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Derby

$75 3.3% 30.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $1,518 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $78.0 in Derby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $369 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,300

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Derby 17,590 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Derby differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $2,318 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $3,477 in Derby 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,518 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Derby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $78.0 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,318 in Derby, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Derby. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Derby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Derby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.