Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,809 in Oamaru, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Oamaru

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,809 in Oamaru, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Oamaru $1,809

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,753 in Oamaru, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Oamaru $2,753

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,698 in Oamaru, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Oamaru $3,698

Medellin is about 9% cheaper than Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Oamaru sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Oamaru by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.46 NZ$25.67

-44.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$68.4 NZ$121

-31.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.20 NZ$16.33

3.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-10.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.30 NZ$4.09

-21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.64 NZ$11.79

-52.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-17.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.32 NZ$2.34

80.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.47 NZ$2.60

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$5.53 NZ$9.82

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.53 NZ$13.36

35.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$8.85 NZ$15.72

11.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.64 NZ$24.21

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.39 NZ$4.25

66.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.10 NZ$3.73

-26.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.65 NZ$4.70

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.91 NZ$5.17

-25.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.50 NZ$2.67

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.39 NZ$2.47

14.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.65 NZ$1.16

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$24.01 NZ$42.63

-83.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.66 NZ$10.05

141.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$3.42 NZ$6.08

-51.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$4.44 NZ$7.89

-49.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.05 NZ$3.63

-42.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$108 NZ$191

-28.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.58 NZ$4.58

-50.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.72 NZ$3.06

19.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$28.67 NZ$50.9

-70.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.62 NZ$2.88

-16.67%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

18.15%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

46.06%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$157 NZ$279

8.00%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$20.20 NZ$35.86

-32.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$44.97 NZ$79.8

-37.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$39.17 NZ$69.6

11.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.03 NZ$17.81

-31.11%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$677 NZ$1,202

17.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

-59.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$57.6 NZ$102

47.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$17.36 NZ$30.83

233.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$45.93 NZ$81.6

193.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$51.0 NZ$90.6

91.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,042 NZ$1,850

15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$799 NZ$1,419

-19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,588 NZ$2,820

27.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,426 NZ$2,531

-29.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,866 NZ$8,638

-14.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,783 NZ$6,716

-49.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,950 NZ$3,462

-66.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.91

85.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Oamaru

$799 44.2% 24.6% $158

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Oamaru

$277 15.3% 6.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Oamaru

$222 12.3% 5.2% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Oamaru

$247 13.7% 45.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Oamaru

$77 4.3% 54.2% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Oamaru

$127 7% 35.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,042 in Oamaru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oamaru are about 3 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 Oamaru. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $277 in Oamaru – so Oamaru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,850

💱 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 Oamaru 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oamaru is pricier by about 10%, 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 $2,713 in Oamaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oamaru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,042 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Oamaru. 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 $1,809 in Oamaru. That makes Medellin about 9% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,809 in Oamaru, 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 $1,809 in Oamaru. 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, Oamaru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.