Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle, Australia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,577 in Newcastle, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Newcastle

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,577

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,577 per month in Newcastle vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Newcastle $2,577
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,805 per month in Newcastle vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Newcastle $3,805
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,033 per month in Newcastle vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Newcastle $5,033
Medellin $3,199

Newcastle costs about 59% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Newcastle and Medellin sit above the global median – Newcastle by 90%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.75 A$29.49

$8.30 COP 26.1K

150.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$147

$46.91 COP 147.5K

120.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$14.95

$9.24 COP 29.1K

13.85%

Cappuccino

$3.82 A$5.42

$3.05 COP 9,597

25.25%

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

$3.29 A$4.68

$1.80 COP 5,660

82.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.49

$1.38 COP 4,346

27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 A$12.57

$3.24 COP 10.2K

173.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 A$9.65

$5.56 COP 17.5K

22.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.50 COP 4,721

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 A$3.84

$2.37 COP 7,446

13.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.78

$1.70 COP 5,333

14.71%

Eggs

$4.67 A$6.63

$2.96 COP 9,302

57.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.45

$10.22 COP 32.1K

-0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 A$12.59

$9.74 COP 30.6K

-9.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.94 A$22.64

$13.90 COP 43.7K

14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.06

$4.13 COP 13.0K

-13.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.20

$1.53 COP 4,799

92.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.12

$2.22 COP 6,994

30.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 A$6.24

$2.27 COP 7,135

93.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.11

$1.99 COP 6,259

45.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.29

$1.67 COP 5,242

38.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.18 COP 3,711

111.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$1.99

$1.24 COP 3,887

12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.88 A$45.29

$3.87 COP 12.2K

723.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 A$15.13

$13.78 COP 43.3K

-22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.34 A$6.17

$1.66 COP 5,213

161.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 A$4.68

$2.40 COP 7,553

37.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.90

$1.24 COP 3,911

120.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$214

$78.2 COP 245.9K

92.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 A$3.52

$1.28 COP 4,011

93.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.23

$2.15 COP 6,747

-26.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.98 A$58.2

$8.37 COP 26.3K

389.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.35 COP 4,252

-11.85%

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

$29.7K A$42.3K

$34.8K COP 109.3M

-14.46%

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

$25.1K A$35.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-27.70%

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

$218 A$310

$167 COP 524.1K

30.84%

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

$26.13 A$37.13

$13.62 COP 42.8K

91.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.4

$29.12 COP 91.6K

94.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.94 A$63.9

$45.09 COP 141.8K

-0.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.86 A$25.38

$17.18 COP 54.0K

3.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 A$20.02

$6.97 COP 21.9K

102.15%

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

$2,158 A$3,067

$790 COP 2.5M

173.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K A$19.4K

$9,041 COP 28.4M

51.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$87.8 COP 276.1K

-8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.87 A$66.6

$58.2 COP 182.9K

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$170

$139 COP 437.1K

-14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 A$167

$98.9 COP 310.9K

19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 A$2,203

$1,028 COP 3.2M

50.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 A$1,700

$620 COP 1.9M

93.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 A$3,503

$1,881 COP 5.9M

31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 A$2,649

$1,008 COP 3.2M

85.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K A$19.2K

$3,988 COP 12.5M

238.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,833 A$8,288

$1,702 COP 5.4M

242.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 A$4,404

$663 COP 2.1M

367.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

10.94

-40.13%

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

Last update for Newcastle: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newcastle

$1.2K 46.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 48.2% $577

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$349 13.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 14.7% $51

Eating Out

Newcastle

$321 12.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 46.9% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$301 11.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 30.4% $91

Getting Around

Newcastle

$172 6.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 44.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$164 6.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 5.3% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$73 2.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 19.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,550 in Newcastle versus $1,028 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 Newcastle are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Newcastle versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Newcastle

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

16 h behind Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

508,437

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Newcastle Medellin 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Newcastle
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

Newcastle vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Newcastle is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,865 per month in Newcastle and $2,437 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 $1,028 there versus $1,550 in Newcastle.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Newcastle 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 $2,577 in Newcastle and $1,625 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 59%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Newcastle at $2,577. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newcastle 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, Newcastle makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.