Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Wanaka

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Wanaka: $1,614 and $1,666 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Wanaka

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,666 in Wanaka, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Wanaka $1,666

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,631 in Wanaka, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Wanaka $2,631

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,596 in Wanaka, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Wanaka $3,596

Medellin is about 3% cheaper than Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Wanaka sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Wanaka by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$14.13 NZ$24.98

-43.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$56.3 NZ$99.6

-18.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.22 NZ$14.53

15.57%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.00 NZ$5.31

3.67%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.69 NZ$2.99

8.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$6.53 NZ$11.56

-53.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$6.16 NZ$10.90

-10.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-32.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.91 NZ$3.38

23.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$5.93 NZ$10.49

-51.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.45 NZ$14.94

20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.37 NZ$16.57

1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$16.30 NZ$28.82

-13.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.00 NZ$5.30

35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.11 NZ$3.73

-28.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.24 NZ$5.73

-33.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.92 NZ$8.70

-53.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.79 NZ$3.16

7.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.81 NZ$3.21

-9.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.24 NZ$3.97

-49.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.55 NZ$0.97

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$21.98 NZ$38.87

-81.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$9.05 NZ$16.00

47.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.07 NZ$5.42

-44.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.24 NZ$2.20

91.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$5.66 NZ$10.01

-76.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$28.07 NZ$49.64

-69.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-27.78%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

9.41%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

41.97%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$110 NZ$194

56.64%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$28.11 NZ$49.71

-52.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$52.3 NZ$92.4

-45.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.10 NZ$17.86

-37.82%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$591 NZ$1,045

30.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$58.6 NZ$104

47.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$34.64 NZ$61.3

64.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$68.3 NZ$121

99.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$73.8 NZ$130

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$970 NZ$1,716

8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$793 NZ$1,403

-22.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,852 NZ$3,275

2.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,595 NZ$2,821

-35.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$5,611 NZ$9,923

-27.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$4,296 NZ$7,597

-84.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

173.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Wanaka

$793 47.6% 28.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Wanaka

$318 19.1% 7.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Wanaka

$190 11.4% 11.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Wanaka

$106 6.4% 37.8% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Wanaka

$233 14% 38.5% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3% 93.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2% 65.1% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $970 in Wanaka. 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 559% higher in Wanaka, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $56.0 in Wanaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $318 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

07:46 7:46 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

11,600

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Wanaka 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,499 in Wanaka. 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 $56.0 in Wanaka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Wanaka, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Wanaka at $1,666. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wanaka 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, Wanaka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.