Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northam and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Northam, Australia
Medellin, Colombia
Northam
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,498
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,498 per month in Northam vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Northam $2,498
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,618 per month in Northam vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Northam $3,618
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Northam vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Northam $4,737
  • Medellin $3,199

Northam costs about 54% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Northam and Medellin sit above the global median – Northam by 84%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.97 A$28.37
$8.30 COP 26.1K
140.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.1 A$121
$46.91 COP 147.5K
81.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 A$15.00
$9.24 COP 29.1K
14.18%
Cappuccino
$4.48 A$6.36
$3.05 COP 9,597
46.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 A$4.03
$1.80 COP 5,660
57.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 A$3.25
$1.38 COP 4,346
65.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.30 A$11.79
$3.24 COP 10.2K
156.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.10 A$11.51
$5.56 COP 17.5K
45.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 A$2.48
$1.50 COP 4,721
16.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.58 A$3.66
$2.37 COP 7,446
8.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 A$2.82
$1.70 COP 5,333
16.47%
Eggs
$4.48 A$6.36
$2.96 COP 9,302
51.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.37 A$9.05
$10.22 COP 32.1K
-37.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 A$12.96
$9.74 COP 30.6K
-6.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.08 A$20.01
$13.90 COP 43.7K
1.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.88
$4.13 COP 13.0K
-33.90%
Banana (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.62
$1.53 COP 4,799
112.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.44 A$4.89
$2.22 COP 6,994
54.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.92 A$6.99
$2.27 COP 7,135
116.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.89 A$4.11
$1.99 COP 6,259
45.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 A$2.81
$1.67 COP 5,242
17.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 A$3.20
$1.18 COP 3,711
90.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 A$1.04
$1.24 COP 3,887
-41.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$41.37 A$58.8
$3.87 COP 12.2K
968.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.49 A$4.96
$13.78 COP 43.3K
-74.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.40 A$6.25
$1.66 COP 5,213
165.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 A$4.99
$2.40 COP 7,553
46.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Northam
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.92 A$4.15
$1.24 COP 3,911
135.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.6 A$114
$78.2 COP 245.9K
3.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 A$5.02
$1.28 COP 4,011
175.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 A$2.07
$2.15 COP 6,747
-32.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.14 A$58.5
$8.37 COP 26.3K
391.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 A$1.91
$1.35 COP 4,252
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K A$38.2K
$34.8K COP 109.3M
-22.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K A$41.9K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-15.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 A$278
$167 COP 524.1K
17.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.09 A$34.24
$13.62 COP 42.8K
76.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.3 A$91.4
$29.12 COP 91.6K
120.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.5 A$80.2
$45.09 COP 141.8K
25.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.81 A$25.31
$17.18 COP 54.0K
3.67%
Cinema Ticket
$17.30 A$24.59
$6.97 COP 21.9K
148.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,328 A$3,307
$790 COP 2.5M
194.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K A$33.0K
$9,041 COP 28.4M
156.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.3 A$110
$87.8 COP 276.1K
-11.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.3 A$94.2
$58.2 COP 182.9K
14.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 A$174
$139 COP 437.1K
-11.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$161 A$229
$98.9 COP 310.9K
62.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Northam
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,391 A$1,976
$1,028 COP 3.2M
35.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 A$1,691
$620 COP 1.9M
92.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,173 A$3,088
$1,881 COP 5.9M
15.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,783 A$2,533
$1,008 COP 3.2M
76.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,780 A$8,213
$3,988 COP 12.5M
44.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,889 A$6,947
$1,702 COP 5.4M
187.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Northam
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$663 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.91
10.94
-45.98%

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

Last update for Northam: 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
Northam
$1.2K
Medellin
$619 48% $571
Eating Out
Northam
$323
Medellin
$171 47.2% $152
Groceries & Markets
Northam
$314
Medellin
$298 5.1% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Northam
$284
Medellin
$209 26.3% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Northam
$192
Medellin
$173 10.1% $19
Getting Around
Northam
$103
Medellin
$95 7.6% $7.9
Sport & Entertainment
Northam
$91
Medellin
$59 35.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Northam 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Northam versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Northam
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
04:58 4:58 AM
15:58 3:58 PM
13 h behind Northam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Northam Medellin 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Northam
  • 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
Northam vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Northam?
Yes – Northam is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,747 per month in Northam and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,028 there versus $1,391 in Northam.
Is eating out cheaper in Northam or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Northam and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Northam and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,498 in Northam and $1,625 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 54%.
Is Northam or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 54% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Northam vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?