Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gladstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gladstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,533 in Gladstone.

Medellin $1,639
Gladstone $2,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,459 in Gladstone.

Medellin $2,413
Gladstone $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,385 in Gladstone.

Medellin $3,186
Gladstone $4,385

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Gladstone 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$17.68 A$25.13

-54.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$81.1 A$115

-41.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.89 A$16.90

-20.10%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.13 A$5.86

-27.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.10 A$4.41

-41.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.75 A$3.91

-48.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.52 A$10.68

-57.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$9.28 A$13.19

-38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.52 A$2.17

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.73 A$3.88

-12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.30 A$3.27

-23.04%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.85 A$6.89

-40.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.23 A$13.12

10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.21 A$13.08

7.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$14.50 A$20.60

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.83 A$5.45

3.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.12 A$4.43

-50.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.30 A$4.69

-33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.67 A$6.64

-53.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.63 A$3.74

-25.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.38 A$3.38

-33.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.41 A$3.42

-52.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.61 A$2.29

-22.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$41.88 A$59.5

-90.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.91 A$19.77

-1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$4.85 A$6.90

-65.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$5.35 A$7.60

-57.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.83 A$4.02

-58.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$84.8 A$121

-8.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.02 A$5.71

-68.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.39 A$1.98

47.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$44.05 A$62.6

-80.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.27 A$1.80

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$26.9K A$38.2K

26.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.9K A$35.4K

39.09%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$205 A$291

-17.15%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$27.56 A$39.16

-50.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$54.4 A$77.2

-48.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$56.1 A$79.7

-22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$17.63 A$25.05

-2.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.90 A$19.76

-50.29%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,958 A$2,783

-59.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$20.4K A$28.9K

-55.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$70.3 A$100.0

20.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$62.5 A$88.8

-7.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$98.6 A$140

36.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$123 A$174

-20.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,381 A$1,963

-12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,223 A$1,737

-47.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,370 A$1,947

47.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,465 A$2,082

-30.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,583 A$7,933

-25.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,980 A$7,076

-61.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,599 A$7,956

-88.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.25

108.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3% 90.6% $581

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Gladstone

$367 14.5% 23.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Gladstone

$287 11.3% 35.7% $75

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Gladstone

$306 12.1% 80.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Gladstone

$159 6.3% 5.7% $9.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Gladstone

$107 4.2% 14.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Gladstone

$84 3.3% 45.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $81 in Gladstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $367 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

15 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

34,703

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gladstone 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gladstone

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 Gladstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Gladstone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,533 in Gladstone – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 9% less than in Gladstone. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,533 in Gladstone, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Gladstone. 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 Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.