Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockhampton and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,987 in Rockhampton, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Rockhampton, Australia
Medellin, Colombia
Rockhampton
🇦🇺 Australia
$1,987
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,987 per month in Rockhampton vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Rockhampton $1,987
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,229 per month in Rockhampton vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Rockhampton $3,229
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,471 per month in Rockhampton vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Rockhampton $4,471
  • Medellin $3,186

Rockhampton costs about 21% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rockhampton and Medellin sit above the global median – Rockhampton by 46%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.51 A$29.14
$8.09 COP 25.4K
153.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.9 A$119
$47.05 COP 148.0K
78.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.90 A$14.07
$9.50 COP 29.9K
4.21%
Cappuccino
$5.01 A$7.12
$3.01 COP 9,485
66.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 A$3.41
$1.80 COP 5,660
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 A$3.94
$1.41 COP 4,443
96.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.66 A$10.89
$3.18 COP 9,990
140.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 A$9.19
$5.75 COP 18.1K
12.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 A$3.38
$1.51 COP 4,751
57.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.34 A$3.33
$2.38 COP 7,480
-1.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.08
$1.77 COP 5,573
22.60%
Eggs
$3.84 A$5.45
$2.89 COP 9,093
32.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.86 A$9.75
$10.19 COP 32.1K
-32.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.15 A$15.85
$9.87 COP 31.1K
12.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.74 A$22.36
$13.99 COP 44.0K
12.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 A$3.79
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-33.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 A$2.93
$1.55 COP 4,883
32.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 A$2.66
$2.18 COP 6,867
-14.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.95 A$7.04
$2.18 COP 6,870
127.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 A$2.83
$1.96 COP 6,174
1.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.30
$1.59 COP 5,000
45.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 A$2.73
$1.15 COP 3,604
66.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 A$3.17
$1.24 COP 3,911
79.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$37.33 A$53.1
$3.96 COP 12.5K
842.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.17 A$21.56
$13.68 COP 43.0K
10.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.52 A$5.00
$1.66 COP 5,221
112.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.93 A$8.43
$2.26 COP 7,103
162.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.72 A$2.45
$1.17 COP 3,674
47.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.2 A$89.8
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-18.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 A$4.91
$1.27 COP 3,989
172.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.76 A$2.50
$2.05 COP 6,442
-14.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.29 A$55.8
$8.55 COP 26.9K
359.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 A$1.72
$1.35 COP 4,237
-10.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K A$42.4K
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-12.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K A$32.5K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-34.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 A$289
$170 COP 533.7K
19.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.89 A$33.94
$13.55 COP 42.6K
76.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.6 A$96.1
$28.07 COP 88.3K
140.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.77 A$56.5
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-8.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.23 A$20.22
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-17.22%
Cinema Ticket
$15.89 A$22.57
$6.91 COP 21.7K
129.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,776 A$2,523
$797 COP 2.5M
122.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,584 A$9,356
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-27.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$127 A$181
$84.7 COP 266.5K
50.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.5 A$84.6
$58.0 COP 182.3K
2.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$141 A$201
$135 COP 424.6K
4.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.0 A$90.9
$97.9 COP 307.9K
-34.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 A$1,164
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-32.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$678 A$964
$642 COP 2.0M
5.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,625 A$2,309
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-19.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 A$2,201
$1,012 COP 3.2M
53.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rockhampton
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,315 A$4,710
$657 COP 2.1M
404.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.27
10.94
-42.69%

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

Last update for Rockhampton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rockhampton
$678
Medellin
$642 5.4% $37
Groceries & Markets
Rockhampton
$358
Medellin
$297 17% $61
Eating Out
Rockhampton
$326
Medellin
$170 48% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rockhampton
$295
Medellin
$211 28.4% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Rockhampton
$176
Medellin
$169 4.2% $7.5
Getting Around
Rockhampton
$82
Medellin
$94 13.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Rockhampton
$72
Medellin
$58 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Rockhampton versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Rockhampton
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
09:11 9:11 AM
18:11 6:11 PM
15 h behind Rockhampton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
63,151
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rockhampton Medellin 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rockhampton
  • 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
Rockhampton vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Rockhampton?
Yes – Rockhampton is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,981 per month in Rockhampton and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rockhampton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Rockhampton or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Rockhampton and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Rockhampton and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,987 in Rockhampton and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.
Is $2,500 enough for either Rockhampton or Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,987 in Rockhampton and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Rockhampton or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,987 in Rockhampton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rockhampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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