Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hamilton, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,917 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
Learn more

Hamilton Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,917 in Hamilton.

Medellin $1,639
Hamilton $1,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,828 in Hamilton.

Medellin $2,413
Hamilton $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,739 in Hamilton.

Medellin $3,186
Hamilton $3,739

Living in Medellin costs roughly 14% less than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Hamilton 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.20 NZ$21.74

-33.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$74.6 NZ$133

-36.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.34 NZ$14.86

13.91%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.49 NZ$6.22

-13.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.31 NZ$4.12

-22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.50 NZ$4.46

-43.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$6.08 NZ$10.83

-47.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.61 NZ$10.00

2.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.46 NZ$2.60

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.25 NZ$2.23

90.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$5.52 NZ$9.83

-47.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.78 NZ$10.30

76.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.18 NZ$12.80

37.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.70 NZ$20.85

19.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.71 NZ$4.82

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.31 NZ$4.12

-32.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.24 NZ$5.78

-32.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$6.21 NZ$11.06

-64.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.41 NZ$2.52

12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-53.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 NZ$1.75

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$26.19 NZ$46.68

-84.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.72 NZ$19.11

27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$4.02 NZ$7.17

-58.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.14 NZ$7.38

-45.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.66 NZ$4.74

-56.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$52.7 NZ$93.8

46.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.70 NZ$6.59

-65.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-19.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

20.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.4K NZ$39.8K

55.11%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$58.3 NZ$104

191.19%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$36.48 NZ$65.0

-62.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$55.5 NZ$98.9

-49.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$25.73 NZ$45.86

69.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$28.98 NZ$51.6

-40.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.93 NZ$24.83

-50.39%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$670 NZ$1,195

18.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$22.5K NZ$40.0K

-59.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$63.7 NZ$113

33.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$38.93 NZ$69.4

48.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$94.7 NZ$169

42.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$107 NZ$190

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,090 NZ$1,942

10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$987 NZ$1,759

-35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,636 NZ$2,915

23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,476 NZ$2,631

-31.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,019 NZ$7,163

3.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,525 NZ$8,064

-57.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,678 NZ$4,773

-75.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.83

60.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hamilton

$987 51.5% 53.9% $346

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hamilton

$297 15.5% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hamilton

$150 7.8% 28.9% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hamilton

$225 11.8% 32.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hamilton

$137 7.1% 19.1% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hamilton

$67 * 3.5% 28.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hamilton

$54 2.8% 6.8% $3.9

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $1,090 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $75 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

169,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Hamilton 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $1,090 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $670 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $75 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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