Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Palmerston North

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Palmerston North: $1,614 and $1,562 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Palmerston North $1,562

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,537 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Palmerston North $2,537

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,511 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Palmerston North $3,511

Medellin costs about 3% more than Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Palmerston North sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Palmerston North by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.50 NZ$23.87

-41.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$63.7 NZ$113

-27.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.80 NZ$15.56

7.95%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.13 NZ$5.54

-0.64%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-22.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.68 NZ$2.97

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-52.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-21.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.14 NZ$3.78

10.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.37 NZ$2.42

22.63%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-41.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.41 NZ$11.34

58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.50 NZ$16.80

0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.78 NZ$19.06

30.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.54 NZ$4.48

60.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-5.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-58.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.41 NZ$2.49

36.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.86 NZ$1.53

90.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-34.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.75 NZ$1.33

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-81.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.91 NZ$13.99

68.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-35.85%

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

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-69.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$82.3 NZ$146

-7.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.78 NZ$3.14

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-20.73%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

29.78%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

48.02%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$68.2 NZ$121

152.26%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$34.64 NZ$61.3

-17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$21.79 NZ$38.54

107.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.08 NZ$24.90

21.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-45.86%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-25.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

5.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$69.5 NZ$123

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$27.70 NZ$48.98

106.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$83.1 NZ$147

64.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$82.5 NZ$146

18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$906 NZ$1,602

16.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$639 NZ$1,129

-3.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,587 NZ$2,807

19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,311 NZ$2,318

-21.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,023 NZ$3,577

100.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,836 NZ$3,247

-8.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-73.85%

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 Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 3.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 3.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 37% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 30.5% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 38.6% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 16.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 22.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $906 in Palmerston North. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 282% higher in Palmerston North, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $283 in Palmerston North – so Palmerston North wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

90,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Palmerston North 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,343 in Palmerston North. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmerston North, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $64.0 in Palmerston North. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,562 in Palmerston North. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmerston North, where all-in costs run around $1,562, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Palmerston North it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palmerston North – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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