Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,473 in Karratha, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
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Karratha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Karratha

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Karratha $4,690

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Karratha sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Karratha by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$17.59 A$24.99

-52.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$82.6 A$117

-43.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$10.31 A$14.66

-10.38%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.88 A$5.52

-21.39%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.83 A$4.02

-36.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$2.19 A$3.11

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$7.54 A$10.72

-57.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$7.58 A$10.77

-26.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.52 A$2.16

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$2.72 A$3.86

-12.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$2.26 A$3.21

-24.78%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$4.83 A$6.86

-38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$9.42 A$13.39

8.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$9.43 A$13.39

3.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$14.89 A$21.15

-6.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$3.97 A$5.65

4.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$3.11 A$4.42

-50.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$3.29 A$4.68

-32.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$4.75 A$6.75

-52.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$2.81 A$3.99

-29.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$2.39 A$3.40

-30.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$2.33 A$3.31

-49.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$1.47 A$2.09

-15.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$41.46 A$58.9

-90.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$13.65 A$19.39

0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$4.76 A$6.76

-65.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$5.35 A$7.60

-55.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.89 A$4.11

-57.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$82.2 A$117

-4.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$3.38 A$4.81

-62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$1.58 A$2.24

36.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$39.46 A$56.1

-78.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.36 A$1.94

-0.74%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$27.0K A$38.3K

28.87%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.6K A$42.1K

17.11%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$202 A$286

-17.32%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$27.87 A$39.60

-51.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$55.4 A$78.7

-47.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$56.7 A$80.6

-20.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$17.66 A$25.10

-2.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$14.78 A$21.00

-52.84%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$2,176 A$3,091

-63.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$20.4K A$29.0K

-55.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$77.6 A$110

13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$54.7 A$77.7

6.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$108 A$153

28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$120 A$171

-17.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$1,391 A$1,976

-26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$1,176 A$1,671

-47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$2,113 A$3,003

-11.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,779 A$2,527

-43.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$5,861 A$8,328

-31.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$4,940 A$7,020

-65.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.84

87.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 89.8% $556

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 23.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 36% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 6.1% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 70.5% $120

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 10.4% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 46.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,391 in Karratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $83 in Karratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $368 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

07:57 7:57 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,013

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Karratha 17,920 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $3,710 in Karratha. 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 $1,028 there versus $1,391 in Karratha.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $2,473 in Karratha. That’s a gap of about 52%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 52% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.