Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Noumea vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Noumea $2,391
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,791 per month in Noumea vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Noumea $3,791
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,191 per month in Noumea vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Noumea $5,191
Medellin $3,190

Noumea costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Medellin sit above the global median – Noumea by 77%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$7.93 COP 25.2K

159.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

141.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$9.50 COP 30.1K

50.42%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.11 COP 9,866

44.69%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$1.83 COP 5,800

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.38 COP 4,360

-7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$3.05 COP 9,672

204.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$5.50 COP 17.4K

28.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.45 COP 4,600

-15.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$2.36 COP 7,496

48.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.68 COP 5,328

30.95%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$2.86 COP 9,077

110.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$10.19 COP 32.3K

190.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$9.53 COP 30.2K

198.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$14.04 COP 44.5K

102.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$4.07 COP 12.9K

15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$1.50 COP 4,742

378.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$2.17 COP 6,891

178.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$2.31 COP 7,310

254.55%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$1.93 COP 6,113

180.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.64 COP 5,196

121.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$1.13 COP 3,571

260.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$1.25 COP 3,954

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$3.99 COP 12.6K

379.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$13.35 COP 42.3K

26.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$1.70 COP 5,384

241.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$1.21 COP 3,827

279.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$1.32 COP 4,179

420.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$2.14 COP 6,774

-48.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$8.47 COP 26.8K

153.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.30 COP 4,114

21.54%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

15.03%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

4.64%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$172 COP 545.6K

16.76%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$13.37 COP 42.4K

221.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$28.73 COP 91.1K

70.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$45.24 COP 143.5K

10.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-49.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$6.28 COP 19.9K

121.50%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$770 COP 2.4M

-1.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

2.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$57.1 COP 181.1K

13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$137 COP 432.9K

-29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

154.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$616 COP 2.0M

25.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

32.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

13.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

107.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

308.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

10.94

-71.39%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 20.4% $157

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 54.6% $354

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 49.7% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 26.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 27% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25.6% $20

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 203% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Noumea versus $1,055 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 run about 308% higher in Noumea, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $648 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

19:15 7:15 PM

16 h behind Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Noumea Medellin 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
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

Noumea vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Noumea is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,587 per month in Noumea and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 120% more in Noumea, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Noumea at $2,391. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea 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, Noumea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.