Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, AR and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,395 in Melbourne, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, AR
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Melbourne, AR Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,395

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne, AR and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne, AR and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,395 per month in Melbourne, AR vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne, AR $2,395
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,533 per month in Melbourne, AR vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne, AR $3,533
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,672 per month in Melbourne, AR vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne, AR $4,672
Medellin $3,190

Melbourne, AR costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Melbourne, AR and Medellin sit above the global median – Melbourne, AR by 77%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 $6.80

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-14.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$46.13 COP 146.3K

68.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 $9.33

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.11 COP 9,866

85.85%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.83 COP 5,800

7.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.38 COP 4,360

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.05 COP 9,672

94.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.50 COP 17.4K

26.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.45 COP 4,600

-39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.36 COP 7,496

61.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$1.68 COP 5,328

246.43%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$2.86 COP 9,077

86.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 $8.15

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-20.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 $8.37

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$4.07 COP 12.9K

10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.50 COP 4,742

-1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.17 COP 6,891

30.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.31 COP 7,310

107.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.93 COP 6,113

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.64 COP 5,196

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.13 COP 3,571

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.25 COP 3,954

62.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$3.99 COP 12.6K

122.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 $18.94

$13.35 COP 42.3K

41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.70 COP 5,384

53.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.37 COP 7,525

90.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.21 COP 3,827

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.32 COP 4,179

124.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.14 COP 6,774

-22.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.45 $32.45

$8.47 COP 26.8K

283.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.30 COP 4,114

-24.62%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

30.92%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-25.28%

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

$176 $176

$172 COP 545.6K

2.48%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

317.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 $63.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

120.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.88 $41.88

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 $9.91

$6.28 COP 19.9K

57.80%

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

$1,075 $1,075

$770 COP 2.4M

39.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

134.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-11.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$137 COP 432.9K

-16.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$97.9 COP 310.4K

15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 $1,598

$1,055 COP 3.3M

51.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 $1,291

$616 COP 2.0M

109.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 $2,289

$1,892 COP 6.0M

20.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,023 COP 3.2M

115.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 $2,938

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-27.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$1,678 COP 5.3M

36.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

10.94

-38.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne, AR: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne, AR

$1.3K 53.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 52.3% $675

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne, AR

$365 15.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 19.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne, AR

$296 12.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 27.5% $81

Eating Out

Melbourne, AR

$210 8.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 19.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne, AR

$152 6.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne, AR

$62 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 6.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Melbourne, AR

$20 * 0.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 377% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,598 in Melbourne, AR versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 $78.0 in Melbourne, AR versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Melbourne, AR

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

Same time as Melbourne, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,068

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne, AR Medellin 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne, AR
Medellin

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

Melbourne, AR vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne, AR is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,592 per month in Melbourne, AR and $2,421 in Medellin. 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 $78.0 in Melbourne, AR and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Melbourne, AR, 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 Melbourne, AR at $2,395. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne, AR 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, Melbourne, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.