Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
Learn more

North Shore Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,123 per month in North Shore vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

North Shore $2,123
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,945 per month in North Shore vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

North Shore $2,945
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,766 per month in North Shore vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

North Shore $3,766
Medellin $3,186

North Shore costs about 30% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both North Shore and Medellin sit above the global median – North Shore by 56%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.94

$8.09 COP 25.4K

72.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 NZ$134

$47.05 COP 148.0K

60.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 NZ$15.16

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-10.42%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.13

$3.01 COP 9,485

14.29%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.80 COP 5,660

10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.41 COP 4,443

29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.90

$3.18 COP 9,990

110.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 NZ$10.28

$5.75 COP 18.1K

0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.89

$1.51 COP 4,751

7.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 NZ$2.39

$2.38 COP 7,480

-43.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.77 COP 5,573

2.82%

Eggs

$5.76 NZ$10.26

$2.89 COP 9,093

99.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.28

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 NZ$17.83

$9.87 COP 31.1K

1.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 NZ$20.98

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-15.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.78

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-32.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.76

$1.55 COP 4,883

36.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.64

$2.18 COP 6,867

44.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 NZ$10.75

$2.18 COP 6,870

176.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.70

$1.96 COP 6,174

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$1.59 COP 5,000

-4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 NZ$4.45

$1.15 COP 3,604

117.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 NZ$1.65

$1.24 COP 3,911

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.31 NZ$45.10

$3.96 COP 12.5K

539.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 NZ$18.71

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.89

$1.66 COP 5,221

65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$2.26 COP 7,103

45.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 NZ$4.14

$1.17 COP 3,674

98.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 NZ$109

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-20.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 NZ$4.12

$1.27 COP 3,989

81.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.52

$2.05 COP 6,442

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 NZ$58.6

$8.55 COP 26.9K

284.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.10

$1.35 COP 4,237

28.89%

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

$26.9K NZ$47.9K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-21.11%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-36.21%

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

$182 NZ$324

$170 COP 533.7K

7.17%

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

$26.22 NZ$46.73

$13.55 COP 42.6K

93.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$91.6

$28.07 COP 88.3K

83.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.58 NZ$49.15

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-36.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 NZ$21.51

$6.91 COP 21.7K

74.67%

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

$686 NZ$1,223

$797 COP 2.5M

-13.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

59.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 NZ$123

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-18.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 NZ$67.1

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-35.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 NZ$170

$135 COP 424.6K

-29.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$191

$97.9 COP 307.9K

9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 NZ$2,367

$1,208 COP 3.8M

9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,856

$642 COP 2.0M

62.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 NZ$3,993

$2,028 COP 6.4M

10.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 NZ$2,362

$1,012 COP 3.2M

31.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

76.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

218.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,856 NZ$5,090

$657 COP 2.1M

334.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

10.94

-39.40%

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

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Shore

$1K 49%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 38.4% $400

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$310 14.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 4.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$259 12.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 18.6% $48

Eating Out

North Shore

$239 11.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 29% $69

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$139 6.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 21.4% $30

Getting Around

North Shore

$83 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 12.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$52 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 11.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,328 in North Shore 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 North Shore are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in North Shore versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

17:13 5:13 PM

18 h behind North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

North Shore Medellin 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

North Shore
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

North Shore vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Shore is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,185 per month in North Shore and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,328 in North Shore and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in North Shore 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 $2,123 in North Shore and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 23% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,123 in North Shore 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 $2,123 in North Shore. 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, North Shore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.