Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Palmerston North and in Medellin: $1,562 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
Learn more

Palmerston North Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,562 per month in Palmerston North vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmerston North $1,562
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,537 per month in Palmerston North vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmerston North $2,537
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,511 per month in Palmerston North vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Palmerston North $3,511
Medellin $3,190

Palmerston North is about 3% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palmerston North and Medellin sit above the global median – Palmerston North by 16%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$7.93 COP 25.2K

70.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$46.13 COP 146.3K

37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-7.37%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$3.11 COP 9,866

0.64%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.83 COP 5,800

28.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.38 COP 4,360

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$3.05 COP 9,672

110.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$5.50 COP 17.4K

18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.45 COP 4,600

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.36 COP 7,496

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$1.68 COP 5,328

-18.45%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$2.86 COP 9,077

69.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-37.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$1.50 COP 4,742

48.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.17 COP 6,891

5.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$2.31 COP 7,310

139.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$1.93 COP 6,113

-26.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$1.64 COP 5,196

-47.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.13 COP 3,571

52.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$1.25 COP 3,954

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$3.99 COP 12.6K

452.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$1.70 COP 5,384

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$2.37 COP 7,525

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$1.21 COP 3,827

224.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$76.5 COP 242.5K

7.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.32 COP 4,179

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$2.14 COP 6,774

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$8.47 COP 26.8K

96.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.30 COP 4,114

26.15%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.95%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.44%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$172 COP 545.6K

-60.36%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

140.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$28.73 COP 91.1K

20.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-51.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-17.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$6.28 COP 19.9K

84.71%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$770 COP 2.4M

34.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-5.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-51.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$137 COP 432.9K

-39.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$616 COP 2.0M

3.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-16.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,023 COP 3.2M

28.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-50.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$1,678 COP 5.3M

9.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$652 COP 2.1M

282.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

10.94

-50.73%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 3.6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 27.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 58.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 43.9% $52

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 28.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $906 in Palmerston North 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 282% higher in Palmerston North, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Palmerston North versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Palmerston North vs $295 in Medellin – so Palmerston North wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

18 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palmerston North Medellin 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,343 per month in Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North, 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 $64.0 in Palmerston North and $46.00 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 $1,562 in Palmerston North and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmerston North, where all-in costs run around $1,562, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Palmerston North it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palmerston North – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Palmerston North. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.