Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $700 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
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Fiji Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Fiji

🇫🇯 Fiji

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fiji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $700 in Fiji.

Medellin $1,692
Fiji $700

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,146 in Fiji.

Medellin $2,471
Fiji $1,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,592 in Fiji.

Medellin $3,249
Fiji $1,592

Living in Medellin is roughly 142% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Fiji is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$4.57 FJD 10.19

82.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.7K

$32.09 FJD 71.6

45.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.28 FJD 14.02

50.80%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.48 FJD 5.53

26.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,722

$1.36 FJD 3.03

30.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,615

$1.05 FJD 2.34

35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$4.06 FJD 9.05

-22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.91 FJD 8.73

45.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,965

$1.29 FJD 2.87

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,422

$0.24 FJD 0.54

854.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,301

$0.85 FJD 1.91

128.24%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,934

$3.16 FJD 7.05

-2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$10.66 FJD 23.78

-6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.8K

$5.43 FJD 12.11

92.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.2K

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.38 FJD 3.07

193.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,951

$0.86 FJD 1.91

77.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,817

$1.82 FJD 4.05

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.36 FJD 3.04

68.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,833

$0.74 FJD 1.64

185.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,537

$0.69 FJD 1.54

147.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,791

$0.93 FJD 2.07

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,119

$0.51 FJD 1.14

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$11.24 FJD 25.07

-65.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.29 FJD 14.04

123.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,707

$4.05 FJD 9.03

-56.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,785

$3.96 FJD 8.83

-31.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,822

$0.93 FJD 2.08

26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,853

$1.08 FJD 2.41

67.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,898

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,131

$1.27 FJD 2.84

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.6M

$45.1K FJD 100.5K

-23.58%

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

$34.1K COP 110.6M

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

$178 COP 575.7K

$52.8 FJD 118

236.61%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$13.50 FJD 30.11

2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.6K

$17.94 FJD 40.03

71.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.9K

$22.21 FJD 49.55

88.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.4K

$4.46 FJD 9.95

276.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$3.93 FJD 8.77

90.08%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$43.98 FJD 98.1

1696.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.7K

$19.09 FJD 42.59

352.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.2K

$29.51 FJD 65.8

368.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$657 FJD 1,466

104.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$266 FJD 593

150.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,102 FJD 2,459

79.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$600 FJD 1,338

72.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,282 FJD 2,861

219.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,330 FJD 2,967

45.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$531 FJD 1,185

21.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fiji: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Fiji

$266 38% 60.1% $401

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Fiji

$171 * 24.4% 44.5% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Fiji

$84 12% 62.1% $138

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Fiji

$123 17.5% 28.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Fiji

$22 * 3.1% 87.3% $150

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Fiji

$4.8 * 0.7% 94.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Fiji

$30 4.3% 47.1% $27

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $657 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 22% 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: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Fiji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $171 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇯 Fiji

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

17 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

92,043

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.09 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.402 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 3,239 COP (10,000 COP = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.49 FJD (1 FJD = 0.402 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Fiji 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fiji is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $657 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $700 in Fiji – Fiji is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $700 in Fiji versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji 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.

It comes down to priorities – Fiji wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.