Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papeete and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,283 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,283

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Papeete vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Papeete $2,283
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,451 per month in Papeete vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Papeete $3,451
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,620 per month in Papeete vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Papeete $4,620
Medellin $3,186

Papeete costs about 39% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Papeete and Medellin sit above the global median – Papeete by 68%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.56 CFPF 1,980

$8.09 COP 25.4K

129.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 CFPF 10.2K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

102.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.54 CFPF 1,551

$9.50 COP 29.9K

53.05%

Cappuccino

$3.41 CFPF 364

$3.01 COP 9,485

13.29%

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

$2.62 CFPF 280

$1.80 COP 5,660

45.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CFPF 346

$1.41 COP 4,443

130.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 CFPF 358

$3.18 COP 9,990

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 CFPF 402

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-34.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 CFPF 159

$1.51 COP 4,751

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CFPF 293

$2.38 COP 7,480

15.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 CFPF 171

$1.77 COP 5,573

-9.04%

Eggs

$6.36 CFPF 678

$2.89 COP 9,093

120.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.25 CFPF 2,907

$10.19 COP 32.1K

167.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.12 CFPF 1,613

$9.87 COP 31.1K

53.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.88 CFPF 2,868

$13.99 COP 44.0K

92.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CFPF 512

$3.97 COP 12.5K

20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 CFPF 258

$1.55 COP 4,883

56.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.39 CFPF 682

$2.18 COP 6,867

193.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.76 CFPF 828

$2.18 COP 6,870

255.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CFPF 282

$1.96 COP 6,174

34.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CFPF 233

$1.59 COP 5,000

37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.65 CFPF 390

$1.15 COP 3,604

217.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 CFPF 121

$1.24 COP 3,911

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.97 CFPF 1,384

$3.96 COP 12.5K

227.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.00 CFPF 2,240

$13.68 COP 43.0K

53.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CFPF 287

$1.66 COP 5,221

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CFPF 340

$2.26 COP 7,103

41.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 CFPF 204

$1.17 COP 3,674

63.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.23 CFPF 984

$1.27 COP 3,989

626.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CFPF 161

$1.35 COP 4,237

11.85%

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

$18.4K CFPF 2.0M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-46.02%

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

$27.8K CFPF 3.0M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-19.87%

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

$179 CFPF 19.1K

$170 COP 533.7K

5.75%

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

$19.50 CFPF 2,081

$13.55 COP 42.6K

43.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 CFPF 7,549

$28.07 COP 88.3K

152.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.0 CFPF 8,963

$43.70 COP 137.5K

92.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.21 CFPF 1,516

$6.91 COP 21.7K

105.64%

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

$461 CFPF 49.2K

$797 COP 2.5M

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,248 CFPF 986.7K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

1.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 CFPF 7,380

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-18.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 CFPF 7,517

$58.0 COP 182.3K

21.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 CFPF 8,288

$135 COP 424.6K

-42.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 CFPF 9,529

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 CFPF 141.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

9.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 CFPF 101.1K

$642 COP 2.0M

47.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,806 CFPF 192.7K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-10.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 CFPF 161.4K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

49.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,081 CFPF 755.6K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

69.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,507 CFPF 801.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

292.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,222 CFPF 237.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

238.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.94

-58.87%

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

Last update for Papeete: 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

Papeete

$947 41.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 32.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Papeete

$517 22.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 42.6% $220

Eating Out

Papeete

$281 12.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 39.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papeete

$270 11.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 21.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Papeete

$138 6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 22.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Papeete

$112 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 48.8% $55

Getting Around

Papeete

$17 * 0.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 455% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,328 in Papeete 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 Papeete are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Papeete versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $517 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇫 Papeete

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

5 h ahead of Papeete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,050 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.37 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.42 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.37 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.42 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 XPF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Papeete Medellin 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Papeete
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

Papeete vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Papeete is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,424 per month in Papeete 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 Papeete 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 $95 in Papeete and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Papeete, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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