Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,914 in Manukau, 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
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Medellin Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Manukau

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,914 in Manukau, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Manukau $1,914

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,853 in Manukau, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Manukau $2,853

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,792 in Manukau, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Manukau $3,792

Medellin is about 14% cheaper than Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Manukau sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Manukau by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.06 NZ$21.42

-32.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$68.0 NZ$121

-30.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.28 NZ$14.71

14.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.48 NZ$6.19

-13.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.22 NZ$11.05

-48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$5.62 NZ$9.98

2.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.44 NZ$2.56

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.30 NZ$2.31

83.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.90 NZ$3.37

-6.84%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$5.26 NZ$9.34

-45.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.52 NZ$9.80

84.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$7.46 NZ$13.24

32.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.96 NZ$21.23

16.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.57 NZ$4.55

54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.16 NZ$3.84

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.97 NZ$5.27

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$5.72 NZ$10.16

-61.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.09 NZ$3.70

-6.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.43 NZ$2.55

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-42.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.91 NZ$1.62

36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$25.51 NZ$45.30

-84.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$10.51 NZ$18.65

30.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.84 NZ$5.04

-41.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.32 NZ$5.90

-31.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-36.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$111 NZ$197

-30.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.94 NZ$3.45

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$32.50 NZ$57.7

-73.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-21.51%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

24.92%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

58.75%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$58.0 NZ$103

192.55%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$26.67 NZ$47.35

-49.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$50.8 NZ$90.3

-44.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$43.35 NZ$77.0

0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.35 NZ$21.92

-44.05%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$687 NZ$1,220

15.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

-53.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$62.3 NZ$111

36.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$38.79 NZ$68.9

49.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$92.4 NZ$164

46.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$112 NZ$198

-12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,036 NZ$1,840

16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$940 NZ$1,669

-31.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,640 NZ$2,912

23.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,494 NZ$2,653

-32.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,976 NZ$8,834

-16.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,073 NZ$5,457

-37.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,825 NZ$3,239

-63.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.9

85.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Manukau

$940 49.1% 46.5% $299

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Manukau

$282 14.7% 5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Manukau

$136 7.1% 35.9% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Manukau

$221 11.5% 30.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Manukau

$137 7.2% 18.7% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Manukau

$131 6.8% 39.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Manukau

$68 3.6% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,036 in Manukau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manukau are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Manukau. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $282 in Manukau – so Manukau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

07:23 7:23 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

362,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Manukau 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,914 in Manukau – Medellin comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,871 in Manukau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manukau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,036 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Manukau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Manukau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,914 in Manukau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,914 in Manukau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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