Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Launceston, Australia

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,980 in Launceston, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Launceston, Australia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Launceston
🇦🇺 Australia
$1,980
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Launceston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,980 in Launceston.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Launceston $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,837 in Launceston.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Launceston $2,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,693 in Launceston.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Launceston $3,693

Living in Medellin costs roughly 15% less than in Launceston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Launceston 46% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$17.76 A$25.36
-53.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$73.4 A$105
-36.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$8.22 A$11.73
15.21%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$3.29 A$4.70
-4.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,700
$1.44 A$2.05
22.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,597
$2.23 A$3.19
-36.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$6.15 A$8.78
-48.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$7.10 A$10.14
-19.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,946
$1.80 A$2.57
-15.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,394
$2.48 A$3.54
-7.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,276
$1.23 A$1.76
57.72%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,895
$3.67 A$5.24
-16.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$9.85 A$14.06
1.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$8.47 A$12.10
23.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$10.32 A$14.74
35.27%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.74 A$3.91
47.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,932
$2.78 A$3.97
-44.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,791
$2.77 A$3.95
-24.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,402
$4.72 A$6.74
-51.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,807
$2.04 A$2.91
3.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,515
$1.42 A$2.03
20.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,776
$2.55 A$3.64
-54.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,099
$0.53 A$0.76
198.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$35.52 A$50.7
-88.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$14.68 A$20.96
-4.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,685
$5.09 A$7.26
-65.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,752
$5.59 A$7.99
-51.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,807
$3.51 A$5.02
-66.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,831
$3.89 A$5.55
-53.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,871
$1.75 A$2.50
21.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$31.75 A$45.35
-74.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,115
$1.26 A$1.80
1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$28.8K A$41.2K
19.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$34.0K A$48.6K
0.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.5K
$223 A$319
-20.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$29.26 A$41.79
-52.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.2K
$54.7 A$78.1
-43.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
$48.98 A$70.0
-14.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$17.13 A$24.46
-56.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$1,998 A$2,854
-60.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$18.5K A$26.5K
-33.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.6K
$78.7 A$112
9.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.2K
$54.8 A$78.3
8.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.4K
$105 A$150
31.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.9K
$127 A$181
-22.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$1,153 A$1,646
16.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$811 A$1,158
-17.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,623 A$2,317
21.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,137 A$1,624
-9.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Launceston
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$6,723 A$9,601
-90.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6
82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Launceston: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Launceston
$811 21.6% $144
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Launceston
$322 4.7% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Launceston
$307 38.1% $85
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Launceston
$266 54% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Launceston
$165 4.5% $7.7
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Launceston
$27 * 71.4% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Launceston
$83 46.3% $26

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $1,153 in Launceston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Launceston pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $73 in Launceston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $322 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇺 Launceston
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
02:08 2:08 AM
16 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
80,943
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Launceston 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Launceston

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 Launceston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Launceston?
Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Launceston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Medellin or in Launceston?
On paper, salaries run 90% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Launceston?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,153 in Launceston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Launceston?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Launceston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Launceston?
All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,980 in Launceston – Medellin is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Medellin or in Launceston?
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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Launceston?
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.
Should I move to Medellin or to Launceston?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Launceston on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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