Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Waiheke Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,010 in Waiheke Island, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Waiheke Island
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Waiheke Island Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Waiheke Island

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Waiheke Island

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,010 in Waiheke Island, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Waiheke Island $2,010

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,965 in Waiheke Island, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Waiheke Island $2,965

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,919 in Waiheke Island, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Waiheke Island $3,919

Medellin is about 16% cheaper than Waiheke Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Waiheke Island sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Waiheke Island by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$14.04 NZ$25.32

-40.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$67.5 NZ$122

-31.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$8.84 NZ$15.95

7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.22 NZ$5.82

-2.80%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$2.08 NZ$3.76

-14.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$1.84 NZ$3.32

-22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.27 NZ$11.31

-49.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$6.06 NZ$10.94

-5.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.86 NZ$3.35

-17.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$2.02 NZ$3.64

13.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$1.78 NZ$3.21

8.99%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$5.76 NZ$10.39

-46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.60 NZ$15.51

16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.22 NZ$16.63

13.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$14.35 NZ$25.89

-2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.62 NZ$4.72

54.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$2.25 NZ$4.06

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$2.97 NZ$5.37

-29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$5.59 NZ$10.08

-59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$1.98 NZ$3.57

6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$1.53 NZ$2.76

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$2.28 NZ$4.12

-48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$1.07 NZ$1.92

47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$24.05 NZ$43.38

-83.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$8.82 NZ$15.91

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$3.04 NZ$5.48

-42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$3.41 NZ$6.16

-20.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$2.02 NZ$3.64

-41.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$104 NZ$187

-26.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$2.25 NZ$4.05

-19.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$1.86 NZ$3.36

14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$29.24 NZ$52.7

-72.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.74 NZ$3.14

-26.44%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$27.6K NZ$49.8K

24.82%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$22.8K NZ$41.1K

49.79%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$110 NZ$199

61.13%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$29.06 NZ$52.4

-52.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$52.4 NZ$94.5

-41.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$39.58 NZ$71.4

5.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.39 NZ$20.54

-34.42%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$673 NZ$1,214

17.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.2K NZ$31.0K

-28.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$61.5 NZ$111

40.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$35.49 NZ$64.0

66.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$91.8 NZ$166

50.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$111 NZ$200

-11.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,036 NZ$1,869

29.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$941 NZ$1,696

-29.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,660 NZ$2,994

19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,466 NZ$2,645

-29.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,852 NZ$8,752

-15.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$3,332 NZ$6,010

-41.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.83

87.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Waiheke Island: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Waiheke Island

$941 46.8% 41% $273

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Waiheke Island

$321 16% 4.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Waiheke Island

$192 9.5% 13.8% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Waiheke Island

$237 11.8% 37.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Waiheke Island

$135 6.7% 21.7% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Waiheke Island

$123 6.1% 31.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Waiheke Island

$62 3.1% 9.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,036 in Waiheke Island. 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 $68 in Waiheke Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $321 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Waiheke Island

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

07:11 7:11 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,950

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 NZD = 0.554 USD

1 NZD = 0.494 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.8 NZD (1 NZD = 0.554 USD). 1 EUR = 2.03 NZD (1 NZD = 0.494 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Waiheke Island 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Waiheke Island

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 Waiheke Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waiheke Island is pricier by about 19%, 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 $3,016 in Waiheke Island. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Waiheke Island, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,036 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $68 in Waiheke Island. 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 $2,010 in Waiheke Island. That makes Medellin about 16% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $2,010 in Waiheke Island, 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 $1,692 in Medellin to $2,010 in Waiheke Island. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.