Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
Learn more

New Plymouth Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,820 per month in New Plymouth vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

New Plymouth $1,820
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in New Plymouth vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

New Plymouth $2,828
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in New Plymouth vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

New Plymouth $3,836
Medellin $3,186

New Plymouth costs about 11% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New Plymouth and Medellin sit above the global median – New Plymouth by 34%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 NZ$22.06

$8.09 COP 26.1K

53.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$121

$47.05 COP 151.7K

44.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 NZ$14.98

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-11.16%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.93

$3.01 COP 9,722

10.96%

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

$2.12 NZ$3.76

$1.80 COP 5,801

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$1.41 COP 4,554

31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 NZ$9.45

$3.18 COP 10.2K

67.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 NZ$10.02

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-1.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.51 COP 4,869

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.22

$2.38 COP 7,667

-47.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.77 COP 5,712

-6.78%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.89 COP 9,320

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.79

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-45.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 NZ$12.76

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 NZ$20.28

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NZ$4.67

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.55 COP 5,005

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.20

$2.18 COP 7,039

34.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$2.18 COP 7,041

180.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$1.96 COP 6,328

1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.59 COP 5,125

-11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$1.15 COP 3,694

63.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.35

$1.24 COP 4,009

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 NZ$41.04

$3.96 COP 12.8K

483.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 NZ$15.51

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-36.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 NZ$5.37

$1.66 COP 5,352

82.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 NZ$6.72

$2.26 COP 7,281

67.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 NZ$2.99

$1.17 COP 3,766

43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.6 NZ$133

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 NZ$6.53

$1.27 COP 4,089

189.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.35 COP 4,343

23.70%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-15.83%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-34.27%

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

$130 NZ$231

$170 COP 547.0K

-23.46%

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

$27.85 NZ$49.44

$13.55 COP 43.7K

105.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.35 NZ$85.8

$28.07 COP 90.5K

72.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 NZ$76.9

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 NZ$14.55

$6.91 COP 22.3K

18.67%

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

$680 NZ$1,206

$797 COP 2.6M

-14.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

153.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 NZ$109

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-27.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 NZ$68.8

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-33.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 NZ$161

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NZ$188

$97.9 COP 315.6K

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 NZ$1,611

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-24.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 NZ$1,485

$642 COP 2.1M

30.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 NZ$3,089

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-14.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 NZ$2,821

$1,012 COP 3.3M

57.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,209 NZ$5,697

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-23.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 NZ$4,655

$1,910 COP 6.2M

37.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,787 NZ$4,948

$657 COP 2.1M

324.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

10.94

-45.80%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: 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

New Plymouth

$836 45.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 23.3% $195

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$281 15.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 5.6% $16

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$219 12%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 22.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$206 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 2.5% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$133 7.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 26.7% $36

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 10% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$60 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3.6% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in New Plymouth versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in New Plymouth vs $297 in Medellin – so New Plymouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

18 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Plymouth Medellin 12,200 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

New Plymouth
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

New Plymouth vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Plymouth is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,731 per month in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $907 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in New Plymouth 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 $1,820 in New Plymouth and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 10% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,820 in New Plymouth and $1,639 in Medellin, 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 $1,820 in New Plymouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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