Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,809 in Oamaru, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,809 per month in Oamaru vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Oamaru $1,809
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,753 per month in Oamaru vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Oamaru $2,753
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,698 per month in Oamaru vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Oamaru $3,698
Medellin $3,186

Oamaru costs about 10% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oamaru and Medellin sit above the global median – Oamaru by 33%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 NZ$25.67

$8.09 COP 26.1K

78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$47.05 COP 151.7K

45.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.33

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$3.01 COP 9,722

11.30%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$1.80 COP 5,801

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.41 COP 4,554

26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$3.18 COP 10.2K

108.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$5.75 COP 18.5K

21.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.51 COP 4,869

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$2.38 COP 7,667

-44.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.77 COP 5,712

-16.95%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.89 COP 9,320

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.36

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 NZ$15.72

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 NZ$24.21

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-39.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$1.55 COP 5,005

35.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.70

$2.18 COP 7,039

21.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$2.18 COP 7,041

33.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.67

$1.96 COP 6,328

-23.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.47

$1.59 COP 5,125

-12.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.15 COP 3,694

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 NZ$1.16

$1.24 COP 4,009

-47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 NZ$42.63

$3.96 COP 12.8K

506.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-58.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NZ$6.08

$1.66 COP 5,352

106.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$2.26 COP 7,281

96.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$1.17 COP 3,766

75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$191

$77.4 COP 249.5K

38.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$1.27 COP 4,089

103.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$2.05 COP 6,603

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 NZ$50.9

$8.55 COP 27.6K

235.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.35 COP 4,343

20.00%

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

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-15.36%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-31.53%

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

$157 NZ$279

$170 COP 547.0K

-7.41%

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

$20.20 NZ$35.86

$13.55 COP 43.7K

49.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.97 NZ$79.8

$28.07 COP 90.5K

60.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.17 NZ$69.6

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NZ$17.81

$6.91 COP 22.3K

45.15%

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

$677 NZ$1,202

$797 COP 2.6M

-15.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

145.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 NZ$102

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-31.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 NZ$30.83

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-70.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.93 NZ$81.6

$135 COP 435.2K

-65.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 NZ$90.6

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 NZ$1,419

$642 COP 2.1M

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 NZ$2,820

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-21.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 NZ$2,531

$1,012 COP 3.3M

40.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

$4,170 COP 13.4M

16.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,783 NZ$6,716

$1,910 COP 6.2M

98.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,950 NZ$3,462

$657 COP 2.1M

196.75%

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 Oamaru: 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

Oamaru

$799 44.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 19.7% $158

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$277 15.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 7.3% $20

Eating Out

Oamaru

$247 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$222 12.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 4.9% $11

Getting Around

Oamaru

$127 7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 26.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$77 4.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 118% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,042 in Oamaru 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 Oamaru are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Oamaru versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Oamaru vs $297 in Medellin – so Oamaru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

18 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

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 1, 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 1, 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

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Between locations

Oamaru Medellin 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

Oamaru vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oamaru is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,713 per month in Oamaru 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 Oamaru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,042 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Oamaru 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 $1,809 in Oamaru and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 9% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,809 in Oamaru 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 $1,809 in Oamaru. 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, Oamaru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.