Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Levin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,859 in Levin, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Levin
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Levin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Levin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Levin

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,859 in Levin, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Levin $1,859

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,784 in Levin, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Levin $2,784

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,710 in Levin, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Levin $3,710

Medellin is about 13% cheaper than Levin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Levin sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Levin by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.55 NZ$23.97

-41.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$64.9 NZ$115

-28.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.89 NZ$15.72

6.86%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.87 NZ$5.08

8.36%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.46 NZ$4.35

-25.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.66 NZ$2.93

-16.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$7.09 NZ$12.54

-56.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$6.58 NZ$11.63

-16.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.90 NZ$1.60

162.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.72 NZ$3.05

-2.33%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$6.99 NZ$12.37

-59.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.37 NZ$11.27

59.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.00 NZ$12.38

36.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.46 NZ$16.73

48.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.67 NZ$2.95

143.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-29.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.99 NZ$5.29

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.75 NZ$3.09

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.90 NZ$3.36

1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.23 NZ$2.17

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.53 NZ$0.94

135.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$17.98 NZ$31.80

-77.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.36 NZ$20.10

17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.22 NZ$5.69

-47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.78 NZ$4.91

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-29.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$81.0 NZ$143

-5.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-28.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.76 NZ$3.11

21.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$33.04 NZ$58.4

-74.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-18.75%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$25.5K NZ$45.1K

9.84%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

42.05%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$198 NZ$349

-12.87%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$21.86 NZ$38.65

-38.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$52.4 NZ$92.6

-45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$38.09 NZ$67.4

18.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.01 NZ$17.70

-37.26%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$1,036 NZ$1,832

-25.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$13.0K NZ$23.1K

-30.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$76.7 NZ$136

12.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$21.97 NZ$38.85

160.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$51.0 NZ$90.2

167.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$113 NZ$200

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$993 NZ$1,756

6.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$824 NZ$1,457

-25.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,192 NZ$2,109

58.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,463 NZ$2,587

-30.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,974 NZ$8,796

-18.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$3,415 NZ$6,039

-50.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.39

102.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Levin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Levin

$824 44.3% 33.8% $208

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Levin

$253 13.6% 14.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Levin

$272 14.6% 26.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Levin

$118 6.4% 30.4% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Levin

$235 12.6% 39.3% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Levin

$99 5.3% 5.6% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Levin

$58 3.1% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $993 in Levin. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $65.0 in Levin. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $253 in Levin – so Levin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Levin

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,800

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Levin 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Levin

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 Levin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $1,859 in Levin – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,788 in Levin. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $1,036 in Levin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Levin at $1,859. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Levin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $1,859 in Levin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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