Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,794 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dunedin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Medellin $1,614
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Medellin $2,402
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Medellin $3,190
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Medellin costs roughly 10% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Dunedin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.81 NZ$24.43

-42.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$61.7 NZ$109

-25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-14.03%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.28 NZ$5.80

-5.18%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$6.74 NZ$11.92

-54.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$6.27 NZ$11.09

-12.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-31.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.96 NZ$3.47

20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.68 NZ$2.98

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$5.75 NZ$10.16

-50.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.54 NZ$15.10

19.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.45 NZ$16.72

0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$16.50 NZ$29.19

-14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.00 NZ$5.30

35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-37.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-30.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.93 NZ$8.72

-53.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.85 NZ$3.28

4.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-9.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-51.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.59 NZ$1.04

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$20.71 NZ$36.63

-80.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.90 NZ$15.75

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-44.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.20 NZ$2.12

97.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.11 NZ$1.96

9.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$66.0 NZ$117

15.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-75.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$27.62 NZ$48.84

-69.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-26.14%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

9.47%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

42.30%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$111 NZ$196

55.09%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$28.15 NZ$49.78

-52.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$52.5 NZ$92.9

-45.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$47.73 NZ$84.4

-5.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.36 NZ$18.33

-39.38%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$570 NZ$1,009

35.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$58.9 NZ$104

46.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$34.56 NZ$61.1

65.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$92.5 NZ$164

47.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$132 NZ$234

-25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$873 NZ$1,545

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$749 NZ$1,324

-17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,480 NZ$2,617

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,148 NZ$2,031

-10.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,200 NZ$3,890

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,425 NZ$4,288

-73.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.07

54.74%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 21.6% $133

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 8.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 10.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Dunedin

$143 8% 15.8% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 45.8% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 18.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 18.4% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 272% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $321 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

105,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Dunedin 12,340 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dunedin

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 Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Dunedin differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,794 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 272% lower in Dunedin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $873 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 16% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $570 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. 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 Dunedin 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 11% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.