Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Port Moresby and in Medellin: $1,532 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,532
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,418 per month in Port Moresby vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,418
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $3,305 per month in Port Moresby vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,305
Medellin $3,139

Port Moresby is about 4% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Moresby and Medellin sit above the global median – Port Moresby by 14%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.99

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-3.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.89 PGK 192

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PGK 23.59

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-42.95%

Cappuccino

$2.44 PGK 10.69

$2.91 COP 9,277

-16.15%

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

$0.77 PGK 3.38

$1.75 COP 5,585

-56.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.95

$1.32 COP 4,218

-49.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 PGK 12.74

$3.13 COP 9,969

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 PGK 15.60

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-35.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.97

$1.41 COP 4,495

29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 PGK 6.74

$2.44 COP 7,777

-36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 6.09

$1.63 COP 5,191

-14.72%

Eggs

$3.62 PGK 15.86

$2.82 COP 8,990

28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 PGK 37.85

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 PGK 24.56

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-39.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.47

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-26.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PGK 18.45

$4.00 COP 12.8K

5.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 PGK 13.67

$1.48 COP 4,719

110.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.01 PGK 30.72

$2.12 COP 6,768

230.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 PGK 28.75

$2.25 COP 7,178

191.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 PGK 14.92

$1.91 COP 6,092

78.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 PGK 12.79

$1.62 COP 5,160

80.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 PGK 10.21

$1.15 COP 3,658

102.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 PGK 5.64

$1.26 COP 4,021

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 PGK 27.45

$3.82 COP 12.2K

63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 PGK 47.05

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-18.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 PGK 11.11

$1.60 COP 5,083

58.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 PGK 15.39

$2.26 COP 7,188

55.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.86

$1.17 COP 3,731

-64.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 PGK 96.2

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-70.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 PGK 23.79

$1.27 COP 4,056

327.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$2.05 COP 6,531

9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.47 PGK 67.8

$8.20 COP 26.1K

88.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 PGK 4.13

$1.27 COP 4,046

-25.98%

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

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

83.73%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-49.85%

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

$117 PGK 513

$162 COP 516.9K

-27.80%

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

$22.67 PGK 99.4

$13.12 COP 41.8K

72.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.2 PGK 400

$28.09 COP 89.5K

224.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 PGK 264

$44.33 COP 141.2K

35.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 PGK 96.6

$16.33 COP 52.0K

34.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 PGK 38.31

$6.09 COP 19.4K

43.51%

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

$836 PGK 3,665

$764 COP 2.4M

9.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-29.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.86 PGK 144

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-61.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 PGK 139

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 PGK 595

$132 COP 419.8K

2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 PGK 702

$95.8 COP 305.1K

67.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 PGK 6,912

$1,028 COP 3.3M

53.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 PGK 2,414

$604 COP 1.9M

-8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 PGK 4,946

$993 COP 3.2M

13.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 PGK 8,918

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-48.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

129.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,882

$626 COP 2.0M

-31.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

10.94

11.24%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$551 36.3%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 9.7% $54

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.1%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 9.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$231 15.2%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 11.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$162 10.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 2.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$135 8.9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 23.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$78 5.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 27.3% $21

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$40 2.7%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 126% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Port Moresby 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 46% higher in Medellin, 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 $44.00 in Port Moresby versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Port Moresby vs $288 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

15 h behind Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Medellin 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
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

Port Moresby vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Port Moresby and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Moresby, 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 $44.00 in Port Moresby 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 $1,532 in Port Moresby and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Moresby – 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 Port Moresby. 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.