Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Papua New Guinea

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,325 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,325
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 0.5% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 3.1% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.5K
$7.14 PGK 31.29
12.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 148.3K
$44.69 PGK 196
4.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.1K
$5.55 PGK 24.32
69.91%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,277
$2.34 PGK 10.24
24.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,585
$0.76 PGK 3.33
130.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,218
$0.65 PGK 2.86
103.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 9,969
$2.62 PGK 11.47
19.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.7K
$3.86 PGK 16.90
43.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,495
$1.92 PGK 8.43
-26.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,777
$1.53 PGK 6.73
59.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,191
$1.36 PGK 5.96
19.85%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 8,990
$3.81 PGK 16.69
-25.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 30.9K
$6.27 PGK 27.49
54.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 29.7K
$6.00 PGK 26.29
55.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 42.9K
$9.33 PGK 40.88
44.27%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.8K
$4.01 PGK 17.56
-0.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,719
$3.35 PGK 14.69
-55.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,768
$6.17 PGK 27.05
-65.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,178
$5.13 PGK 22.47
-56.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,092
$3.65 PGK 16.00
-47.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$2.74 PGK 12.03
-40.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,658
$2.00 PGK 8.77
-42.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,021
$1.14 PGK 4.97
10.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.2K
$6.37 PGK 27.94
-40.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 41.8K
$10.54 PGK 46.21
24.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,083
$2.58 PGK 11.29
-37.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,188
$3.66 PGK 16.03
-38.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,731
$0.43 PGK 1.87
172.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 239.0K
$25.43 PGK 111
195.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,056
$4.95 PGK 21.70
-74.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,531
$2.23 PGK 9.78
-8.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.1K
$14.19 PGK 62.2
-42.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,046
$0.95 PGK 4.15
33.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 85.3M
$28.7K PGK 125.6K
-6.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 109.6M
$22.7K PGK 99.6K
51.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 516.9K
$93.1 PGK 408
74.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 41.8K
$27.52 PGK 121
-52.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 89.5K
$116 PGK 506
-75.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 141.2K
$63.5 PGK 278
-30.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.0K
$24.15 PGK 106
-32.38%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.4K
$8.99 PGK 39.42
-32.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.4M
$526 PGK 2,307
45.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.4M
$5,532 PGK 24.2K
60.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 270.8K
$35.26 PGK 155
140.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 183.2K
$30.74 PGK 135
87.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 419.8K
$69.0 PGK 302
91.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 305.1K
$92.3 PGK 404
3.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$1,597 PGK 6,998
-35.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$444 PGK 1,946
36.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.7M
$2,846 PGK 12.5K
-36.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$1,033 PGK 4,525
-3.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.5M
$2,005 PGK 8,789
95.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.2M
$3,785 PGK 16.6K
-56.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$418 PGK 1,833
49.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
13.67
-19.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Papua New Guinea
$444 26.6% $161
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Papua New Guinea
$302 4.7% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Papua New Guinea
$236 16.1% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Papua New Guinea
$102 38.6% $64
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Papua New Guinea
$128 22.9% $38
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Papua New Guinea
$43 52.6% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Papua New Guinea
$81 44.2% $25
Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🕒 Local time
08:52 8:52 AM
23:52 11:52 PM
15 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
8,935,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.204 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Papua New Guinea 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Papua New Guinea

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.
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