Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and South Yarra

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,525 in South Yarra, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in South Yarra
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South Yarra Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

South Yarra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in South Yarra

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,525 in South Yarra, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
South Yarra $2,525

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,604 in South Yarra, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
South Yarra $3,604

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,684 in South Yarra, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
South Yarra $4,684

Medellin is about 33% cheaper than South Yarra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and South Yarra sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, South Yarra by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$17.46 A$24.99

-52.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$85.4 A$122

-45.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.44 A$12.09

12.20%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.48 A$4.99

-10.06%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.04 A$2.92

-13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.72 A$2.46

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$9.74 A$13.94

-67.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$8.50 A$12.16

-32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.57 A$2.24

-2.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.86 A$4.09

-19.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.38 A$1.97

40.58%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$4.11 A$5.88

-25.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$9.80 A$14.02

1.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.04 A$10.07

48.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$15.37 A$22.00

-9.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.79 A$3.99

45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$2.06 A$2.94

-25.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.41 A$2.02

48.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$2.73 A$3.91

-16.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.37 A$1.96

54.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$2.11 A$3.02

-18.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$2.38 A$3.41

-50.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.40 A$2.01

12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$31.97 A$45.77

-87.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$12.82 A$18.35

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$5.59 A$8.01

-68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$5.33 A$7.63

-49.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$2.76 A$3.95

-57.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$88.0 A$126

-13.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$3.81 A$5.46

-52.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.44 A$2.05

47.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$29.73 A$42.55

-72.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.29 A$1.85

-0.78%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$29.7K A$42.5K

16.13%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.8K A$36.9K

32.24%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$237 A$339

-24.98%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$26.63 A$38.13

-47.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$41.26 A$59.1

-25.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$58.2 A$83.3

-27.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$15.45 A$22.11

8.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$16.75 A$23.97

-55.40%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$2,471 A$3,537

-68.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$33.9K A$48.5K

-63.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$79.7 A$114

8.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$50.3 A$72.1

17.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$122 A$175

13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$133 A$190

-25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,404 A$2,010

-4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,236 A$1,769

-46.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,308 A$3,303

-14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,823 A$2,610

-43.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,976 A$7,123

-17.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$4,912 A$7,032

-60.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.94

84.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for South Yarra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

South Yarra

$1.2K 49% 85.3% $569

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

South Yarra

$321 12.7% 4.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

South Yarra

$305 12.1% 37.1% $82

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

South Yarra

$288 11.4% 66.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

South Yarra

$173 6.9% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

South Yarra

$110 4.4% 17.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

South Yarra

$92 3.6% 61.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,404 in South Yarra. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $85 in South Yarra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $321 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 South Yarra

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,147

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin South Yarra 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
South Yarra

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 South Yarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – South Yarra is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,787 in South Yarra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,341 in Medellin and $1,404 in South Yarra. 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 $85 in South Yarra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,525 in South Yarra. That makes Medellin about 33% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in South Yarra at $2,525. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in South Yarra 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.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.