Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Yarra and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,525 in South Yarra, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

South Yarra, Australia
Medellin, Colombia
South Yarra
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,525
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in South Yarra vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • South Yarra $2,525
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,604 per month in South Yarra vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • South Yarra $3,604
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,684 per month in South Yarra vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • South Yarra $4,684
  • Medellin $3,249

South Yarra costs about 49% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both South Yarra and Medellin sit above the global median – South Yarra by 87%, Medellin by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.46 A$24.89
$8.34 COP 27.0K
109.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.4 A$122
$46.53 COP 150.9K
83.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.44 A$12.04
$9.47 COP 30.7K
-10.88%
Cappuccino
$3.48 A$4.97
$3.13 COP 10.2K
11.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 A$2.91
$1.77 COP 5,727
15.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 A$2.45
$1.42 COP 4,619
21.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.74 A$13.88
$3.15 COP 10.2K
209.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.50 A$12.11
$5.70 COP 18.5K
49.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 A$2.23
$1.53 COP 4,969
2.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 A$4.08
$2.29 COP 7,429
24.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 A$1.96
$1.94 COP 6,306
-28.87%
Eggs
$4.11 A$5.86
$3.07 COP 9,942
33.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.80 A$13.96
$9.99 COP 32.4K
-1.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.04 A$10.03
$10.45 COP 33.9K
-32.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 A$21.91
$13.96 COP 45.3K
10.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 A$3.97
$4.05 COP 13.1K
-31.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 A$2.93
$1.53 COP 4,956
34.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.41 A$2.01
$2.10 COP 6,823
-32.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.89
$2.29 COP 7,437
19.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 A$1.96
$2.11 COP 6,839
-35.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 A$3.01
$1.71 COP 5,542
23.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.38 A$3.39
$1.17 COP 3,794
103.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 A$2.00
$1.58 COP 5,123
-11.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.97 A$45.58
$3.91 COP 12.7K
717.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.82 A$18.27
$14.04 COP 45.5K
-8.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.59 A$7.97
$1.76 COP 5,712
217.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 A$7.60
$2.71 COP 8,793
96.68%
🚌 Getting Around
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 A$3.94
$1.18 COP 3,825
133.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.0 A$125
$76.3 COP 247.4K
15.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 A$5.43
$1.81 COP 5,859
110.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 A$2.05
$2.13 COP 6,904
-32.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.73 A$42.38
$8.13 COP 26.4K
265.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 A$1.84
$1.28 COP 4,135
0.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K A$42.3K
$34.4K COP 111.7M
-13.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K A$36.8K
$34.1K COP 110.7M
-24.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 A$338
$178 COP 576.3K
33.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.63 A$37.97
$13.89 COP 45.0K
91.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.26 A$58.8
$30.74 COP 99.7K
34.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.2 A$82.9
$41.94 COP 136.0K
38.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 A$22.02
$16.80 COP 54.5K
-8.04%
Cinema Ticket
$16.75 A$23.87
$7.47 COP 24.2K
124.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,471 A$3,523
$790 COP 2.6M
212.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.9K A$48.3K
$12.3K COP 39.9M
175.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.7 A$114
$86.3 COP 279.9K
-7.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.3 A$71.8
$59.3 COP 192.2K
-15.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 A$174
$138 COP 448.6K
-11.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$190
$98.8 COP 320.4K
34.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,404 A$2,002
$1,341 COP 4.3M
4.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,236 A$1,762
$667 COP 2.2M
85.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,308 A$3,290
$1,976 COP 6.4M
16.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,823 A$2,599
$1,033 COP 3.3M
76.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,976 A$7,093
$4,098 COP 13.3M
21.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,912 A$7,003
$1,940 COP 6.3M
153.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Yarra
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$646 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.94
10.94
-45.70%

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

Last update for South Yarra: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
South Yarra
$1.2K
Medellin
$667 46% $569
Groceries & Markets
South Yarra
$321
Medellin
$307 4.4% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Yarra
$305
Medellin
$222 27.1% $82
Eating Out
South Yarra
$288
Medellin
$173 40% $115
Clothing & Footwear
South Yarra
$173
Medellin
$172 0.6% $1
Getting Around
South Yarra
$110
Medellin
$93 15.1% $17
Sport & Entertainment
South Yarra
$92
Medellin
$57 37.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,404 in South Yarra versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in South Yarra versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 South Yarra
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
00:55 12:55 AM
08:55 8:55 AM
16 h behind South Yarra
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,147
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.626 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • South Yarra Medellin 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • South Yarra
  • 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
South Yarra vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than South Yarra?
Yes – South Yarra is pricier by about 49%, 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 $3,787 per month in South Yarra and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between South Yarra and Medellin?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,404 in South Yarra and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in South Yarra or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in South Yarra 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 South Yarra and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,525 in South Yarra and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 33% cheaper.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in South Yarra or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in South Yarra at $2,525. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in South Yarra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is South Yarra or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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