Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in North Shore

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,123 in North Shore, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
North Shore $2,123

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,945 in North Shore, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
North Shore $2,945

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,766 in North Shore, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
North Shore $3,766

Medellin is about 23% cheaper than North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and North Shore sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, North Shore by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$13.99 NZ$24.86

-42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$75.3 NZ$134

-37.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.51 NZ$15.11

11.63%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-12.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-9.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$6.68 NZ$11.86

-52.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.77 NZ$10.25

-0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.62 NZ$2.88

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.34 NZ$2.38

77.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-2.75%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-49.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$8.01 NZ$14.23

27.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.01 NZ$17.78

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.77 NZ$20.92

18.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.68 NZ$4.77

48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-26.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$3.16 NZ$5.62

-31.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$6.03 NZ$10.72

-63.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.52 NZ$2.69

4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-54.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.93 NZ$1.64

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$25.31 NZ$44.96

-84.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.50 NZ$18.65

30.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.74 NZ$4.87

-39.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.29 NZ$5.84

-31.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-49.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$61.4 NZ$109

26.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-45.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.97 NZ$3.50

4.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$32.86 NZ$58.4

-73.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-22.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$26.9K NZ$47.7K

26.76%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

56.77%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$182 NZ$323

-6.69%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$26.22 NZ$46.58

-48.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$51.4 NZ$91.3

-45.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$27.58 NZ$48.99

58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$12.07 NZ$21.44

-42.75%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$686 NZ$1,219

16.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$14.5K NZ$25.8K

-37.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$69.1 NZ$123

22.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$37.67 NZ$66.9

53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$95.3 NZ$169

41.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$107 NZ$191

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,328 NZ$2,360

-9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,042 NZ$1,850

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,240 NZ$3,980

-9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,326 NZ$2,355

-23.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

-43.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

-68.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,856 NZ$5,074

-76.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.63

65.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

North Shore

$1K 49% 62.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 4.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 22.8% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 40.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 17.6% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 11.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 10.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,328 in North Shore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in North Shore are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in North Shore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $310 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

258,697

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.506 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.506 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin North Shore 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Shore is pricier by about 30%, 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 $3,185 in North Shore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,328 in North Shore. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $75 in North Shore. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,123 in North Shore. That makes Medellin about 23% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,123 in North Shore, 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 $2,123 in North Shore. 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, North Shore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.