Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hervey Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,403 in Hervey Bay, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Hervey Bay
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Hervey Bay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hervey Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hervey Bay

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,403 in Hervey Bay, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Hervey Bay $2,403

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,452 in Hervey Bay, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Hervey Bay $3,452

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,500 in Hervey Bay, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Hervey Bay $4,500

Medellin is about 32% cheaper than Hervey Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Hervey Bay sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Hervey Bay by 77%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.48 A$24.86

-53.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$74.4 A$106

-36.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.56 A$15.01

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.85 A$5.47

-21.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.90 A$4.12

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.26 A$3.21

-37.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.99 A$8.52

-46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$8.23 A$11.71

-30.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.62 A$2.31

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.71 A$3.86

-12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.21 A$3.15

-19.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$4.76 A$6.77

-39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.13 A$12.99

11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.35 A$13.30

5.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.41 A$20.50

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.30 A$6.12

-7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.14 A$4.47

-50.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.02 A$4.30

-27.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.96 A$7.05

-56.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.72 A$3.87

-27.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.43 A$3.45

-34.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.29 A$3.26

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.19 A$1.69

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$38.10 A$54.2

-89.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.47 A$17.73

9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$5.17 A$7.35

-67.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$5.12 A$7.29

-55.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.94 A$4.18

-60.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$80.7 A$115

-4.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.10 A$4.40

-59.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.81 A$2.58

13.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$41.81 A$59.5

-79.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.45 A$2.06

-6.90%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.5K A$41.9K

15.58%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.8K A$36.7K

34.47%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$163 A$231

4.32%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$25.76 A$36.63

-47.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$61.1 A$86.9

-54.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$49.51 A$70.4

-11.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$15.99 A$22.75

7.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.76 A$19.58

-49.78%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$2,043 A$2,906

-61.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.8K A$18.2K

-28.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$63.3 A$90.1

33.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$44.32 A$63.0

30.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$63.3 A$90.0

113.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$63.8 A$90.7

53.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,400 A$1,992

-13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,218 A$1,733

-47.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,268 A$3,226

-10.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,834 A$2,608

-44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,566 A$7,917

-25.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,622 A$6,574

-58.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,751 A$3,913

-76.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.81

88.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hervey Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hervey Bay

$1.2K 50.7% 89.9% $577

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hervey Bay

$363 15.1% 22.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hervey Bay

$249 10.4% 18.1% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hervey Bay

$285 11.9% 67.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hervey Bay

$106 4.4% 37.5% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hervey Bay

$105 4.4% 11.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hervey Bay

$77 3.2% 33.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,400 in Hervey Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hervey Bay are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $74 in Hervey Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $363 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Hervey Bay

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

15 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

57,722

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hervey Bay 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hervey Bay

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 Hervey Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hervey Bay is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,605 in Hervey Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,400 in Hervey Bay.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $2,043 in Hervey Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Hervey Bay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hervey Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.