Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne 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 and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Medellin $3,186

Melbourne costs about 74% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Medellin sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$8.09 COP 25.4K

116.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$47.05 COP 148.0K

79.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$9.50 COP 29.9K

28.11%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.01 COP 9,485

35.22%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$1.80 COP 5,660

76.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.41 COP 4,443

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$3.18 COP 9,990

200.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$5.75 COP 18.1K

43.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.51 COP 4,751

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.38 COP 7,480

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$1.77 COP 5,573

51.41%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$2.89 COP 9,093

88.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$10.19 COP 32.1K

5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.87 COP 31.1K

1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$13.99 COP 44.0K

7.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.97 COP 12.5K

2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.55 COP 4,883

102.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.18 COP 6,867

43.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$2.18 COP 6,870

116.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.96 COP 6,174

52.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.59 COP 5,000

56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.15 COP 3,604

115.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.24 COP 3,911

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$3.96 COP 12.5K

1027.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$1.66 COP 5,221

234.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.26 COP 7,103

129.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$1.17 COP 3,674

228.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$77.4 COP 243.4K

79.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$1.27 COP 3,989

243.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$2.05 COP 6,442

-33.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$8.55 COP 26.9K

247.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.35 COP 4,237

10.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-14.61%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.96%

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

$236 A$335

$170 COP 533.7K

38.91%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$13.55 COP 42.6K

106.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

103.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$43.70 COP 137.5K

10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$17.19 COP 54.1K

24.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$6.91 COP 21.7K

155.72%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$797 COP 2.5M

208.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

225.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-4.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-14.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$135 COP 424.6K

-11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$97.9 COP 307.9K

33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,208 COP 3.8M

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$642 COP 2.0M

119.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,028 COP 6.4M

72.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,012 COP 3.2M

149.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

91.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$1,910 COP 6.0M

261.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$657 COP 2.1M

547.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.94

-46.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 54.5% $767

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 34.2% $110

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 45.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 43.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Melbourne are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

16 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Medellin 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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 vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 74%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne 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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.