Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,027 per month in Perth vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Perth $3,027
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $4,162 per month in Perth vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Perth $4,162
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $5,297 per month in Perth vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Perth $5,297
Medellin $3,199

Perth costs about 86% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Perth and Medellin sit above the global median – Perth by 123%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$8.30 COP 26.3K

155.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$46.91 COP 148.7K

80.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$9.24 COP 29.3K

19.16%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$3.05 COP 9,676

45.25%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$1.80 COP 5,707

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.38 COP 4,382

63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$3.24 COP 10.3K

160.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$5.56 COP 17.6K

47.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.50 COP 4,760

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$2.37 COP 7,508

31.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.70 COP 5,377

21.18%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.96 COP 9,379

76.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$4.13 COP 13.1K

11.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$1.53 COP 4,839

111.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$2.22 COP 7,052

53.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$2.27 COP 7,194

115.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$1.99 COP 6,311

43.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.67 COP 5,285

13.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.18 COP 3,742

85.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$1.24 COP 3,919

12.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$3.87 COP 12.3K

996.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$1.66 COP 5,256

174.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.40 COP 7,615

38.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$1.24 COP 3,944

93.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$78.2 COP 248.0K

25.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$1.28 COP 4,044

175.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$2.15 COP 6,803

-32.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$8.37 COP 26.5K

383.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.35 COP 4,288

0.74%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-14.82%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-20.08%

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

$205 A$295

$167 COP 528.4K

23.20%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$13.62 COP 43.2K

140.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

119.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$45.09 COP 143.0K

22.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$17.18 COP 54.5K

21.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$6.97 COP 22.1K

147.78%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$790 COP 2.5M

193.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

152.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$58.2 COP 184.4K

8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$139 COP 440.7K

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$98.9 COP 313.5K

64.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$1,028 COP 3.3M

88.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$620 COP 2.0M

162.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$1,881 COP 6.0M

49.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$1,008 COP 3.2M

114.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

109.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$1,702 COP 5.4M

252.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$663 COP 2.1M

534.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

10.94

-45.52%

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

Last update for Perth: 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

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 61.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 18.6% $68

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 49% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 30.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 9.6% $18

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 19.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 34.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,936 in Perth 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.

Salaries run about 534% higher in Perth, 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 $85.0 in Perth versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

13 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Medellin 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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

Perth vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perth is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,540 per month in Perth and $2,437 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 $85.0 in Perth and $47.00 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 $3,027 in Perth and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Perth at $3,027. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perth 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.

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