Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Penrith

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Penrith

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,604 in Penrith, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Penrith $2,604

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,652 in Penrith, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Penrith $3,652

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,701 in Penrith, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Penrith $4,701

Medellin is about 38% cheaper than Penrith, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Penrith sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Penrith by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$21.03 A$30.13

-62.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$89.7 A$128

-48.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$10.56 A$15.12

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$2.04 A$2.92

52.45%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$3.16 A$4.52

-42.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$2.56 A$3.67

-46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$8.57 A$12.27

-64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$4.96 A$7.10

10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$1.57 A$2.25

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$3.32 A$4.76

-28.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$2.54 A$3.64

-33.86%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$5.16 A$7.39

-44.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$13.08 A$18.73

-22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$9.74 A$13.95

-2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$15.40 A$22.06

-8.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.93 A$5.62

3.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$3.08 A$4.41

-51.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$3.50 A$5.01

-38.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$5.31 A$7.61

-56.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$3.17 A$4.54

-39.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$2.80 A$4.00

-41.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$2.48 A$3.56

-54.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$1.34 A$1.92

-6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$45.42 A$65.1

-91.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$14.07 A$20.15

-5.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$4.62 A$6.62

-63.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$5.64 A$8.08

-57.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$3.17 A$4.55

-61.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

$78.5 A$112

-2.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$4.11 A$5.89

-67.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$1.57 A$2.25

36.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$42.63 A$61.1

-80.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$1.18 A$1.69

10.17%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$27.1K A$38.8K

3.31%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$30.0K A$43.0K

17.99%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$183 A$262

-5.81%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$26.16 A$37.48

-48.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$55.4 A$79.3

-48.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$51.0 A$73.1

-11.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$17.66 A$25.30

-3.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$15.88 A$22.75

-60.45%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$2,390 A$3,424

-67.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$19.9K A$28.5K

-54.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$75.3 A$108

14.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$56.1 A$80.4

1.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$108 A$154

26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$134 A$192

-27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$1,371 A$1,964

-23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,289 A$1,847

-52.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,142 A$3,068

-11.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,686 A$2,416

-39.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$4,992 A$7,152

-18.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$4,361 A$6,247

-61.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.95

83.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5% 109% $673

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Penrith

$396 15.2% 34.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Penrith

$264 10.2% 23.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Penrith

$168 6.5% 1.2% $2

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Penrith

$300 11.5% 78.2% $132

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Penrith

$103 4% 10.5% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Penrith

$83 3.2% 43.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,371 in Penrith. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $90.0 in Penrith. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $396 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Penrith

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,343

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Penrith 14,360 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Penrith

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 Penrith: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Penrith is pricier by about 61%, 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 $3,905 in Penrith. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $90.0 in Penrith. 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 $2,604 in Penrith. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Penrith at $2,604. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penrith it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Penrith makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.