Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Whanganui

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,000 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Whanganui

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,000 in Whanganui, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Whanganui $2,000

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,910 in Whanganui, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Whanganui $2,910

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,820 in Whanganui, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Whanganui $3,820

Medellin is about 18% cheaper than Whanganui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Whanganui sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Whanganui by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.42 NZ$22.04

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$73.0 NZ$130

-35.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.38 NZ$14.89

13.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.36 NZ$5.97

-10.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-18.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.48 NZ$9.73

-41.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$5.48 NZ$9.73

4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.34 NZ$2.37

12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.01 NZ$1.79

135.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.16 NZ$2.05

52.59%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$5.54 NZ$9.84

-47.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.64 NZ$10.02

80.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$7.49 NZ$13.30

31.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.96 NZ$21.23

16.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.21 NZ$3.93

79.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.98 NZ$3.51

-21.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.89 NZ$3.35

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.51 NZ$6.23

-37.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.70 NZ$3.03

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.32 NZ$2.34

20.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.27 NZ$4.02

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.52 NZ$0.93

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$23.29 NZ$41.35

-83.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.56 NZ$16.97

43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.60 NZ$4.61

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.23 NZ$3.96

1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-40.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$109 NZ$193

-28.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.59 NZ$6.38

-64.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.04 NZ$3.62

0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$31.45 NZ$55.8

-72.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.62 NZ$2.87

-16.67%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.2K NZ$50.0K

20.96%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

52.61%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$197 NZ$351

-14.10%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$32.21 NZ$57.2

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$47.07 NZ$83.6

-40.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$39.46 NZ$70.1

10.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.66 NZ$10.05

22.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$686 NZ$1,218

16.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

-60.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$61.3 NZ$109

38.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$38.61 NZ$68.6

50.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$93.4 NZ$166

44.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$106 NZ$188

-7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,030 NZ$1,828

17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$939 NZ$1,668

-31.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,657 NZ$2,941

22.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,465 NZ$2,602

-30.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,694 NZ$8,334

-11.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,967 NZ$5,267

-35.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.8

60.88%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Whanganui

$939 47% 46.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Whanganui

$248 12.4% 16.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Whanganui

$277 13.8% 31% $65

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Whanganui

$220 11% 29.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Whanganui

$135 6.7% 20.3% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Whanganui

$130 6.5% 39.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Whanganui

$51 2.5% 11.7% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,030 in Whanganui. 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 $73 in Whanganui. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $248 in Whanganui – so Whanganui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

18 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

42,300

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Whanganui 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Whanganui

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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Whanganui is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,000 in Whanganui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Whanganui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,030 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $73 in Whanganui. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,000 in Whanganui. That makes Medellin about 18% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,000 in Whanganui, 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $2,000 in Whanganui. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.