Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Forster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,595 in Forster.

Medellin $1,692
Forster $2,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,737 in Forster.

Medellin $2,471
Forster $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $4,879 in Forster.

Medellin $3,249
Forster $4,879

Living in Medellin costs roughly 35% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Forster 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$17.58 A$25.36

-52.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$92.1 A$133

-49.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$10.66 A$15.38

-11.16%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.90 A$5.63

-19.74%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$2.82 A$4.07

-37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$2.22 A$3.21

-36.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.87 A$9.91

-54.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.45 A$7.86

4.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.64 A$2.37

-6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.91 A$4.20

-21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.38 A$3.43

-18.49%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$5.62 A$8.11

-45.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$12.01 A$17.32

-16.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.38 A$13.54

11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$16.88 A$24.35

-17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.90 A$5.63

3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$3.10 A$4.48

-50.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$3.40 A$4.91

-38.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$4.22 A$6.09

-45.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$3.24 A$4.68

-34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.48 A$3.58

-31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$2.38 A$3.43

-50.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.21 A$1.75

30.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$44.92 A$64.8

-91.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$14.05 A$20.27

-0.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$3.96 A$5.72

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$4.07 A$5.88

-33.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$2.83 A$4.08

-58.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$84.7 A$122

-9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$3.50 A$5.04

-48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.65 A$2.37

29.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$40.37 A$58.2

-79.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.51 A$2.17

-15.23%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$30.0K A$43.2K

14.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$27.9K A$40.2K

22.35%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$252 A$364

-29.59%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$27.69 A$39.94

-49.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$56.6 A$81.6

-45.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$57.0 A$82.2

-26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$17.43 A$25.14

-3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$17.45 A$25.17

-57.19%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$2,354 A$3,395

-66.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$27.9K A$40.2K

-55.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$80.3 A$116

7.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$71.4 A$103

-16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$113 A$164

22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$130 A$188

-24.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,391 A$2,006

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,217 A$1,756

-45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,287 A$3,299

-13.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,794 A$2,588

-42.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$5,826 A$8,405

-29.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$4,884 A$7,044

-60.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.92

84.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Forster

$1.2K 46.9% 82.4% $550

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Forster

$379 14.6% 23.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Forster

$337 13% 51.4% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Forster

$285 11% 65.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Forster

$178 6.9% 3.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Forster

$108 4.2% 15.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Forster

$92 3.5% 61.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $1,391 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $92 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $379 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,554

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Forster 14,270 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,595 in Forster, so Medellin is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $3,893 in Forster 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,391 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $2,354 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,595 in Forster, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Forster. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.