Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Medellin $3,186

Sydney costs about 99% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sydney and Medellin sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$8.09 COP 26.1K

116.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$47.05 COP 151.7K

92.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$9.50 COP 30.6K

25.89%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.01 COP 9,722

32.89%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$1.80 COP 5,801

56.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.41 COP 4,554

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$3.18 COP 10.2K

155.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$5.75 COP 18.5K

25.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.51 COP 4,869

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.38 COP 7,667

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.77 COP 5,712

41.81%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$2.89 COP 9,320

95.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$10.19 COP 32.9K

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-5.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.98

$13.99 COP 45.1K

20.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-1.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.55 COP 5,005

107.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.18 COP 7,039

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$2.18 COP 7,041

98.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$1.96 COP 6,328

70.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.59 COP 5,125

50.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.15 COP 3,694

103.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.24 COP 4,009

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$3.96 COP 12.8K

1048.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$13.68 COP 44.1K

2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$1.66 COP 5,352

147.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$2.26 COP 7,281

84.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.17 COP 3,766

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$77.4 COP 249.5K

96.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.27 COP 4,089

172.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$2.05 COP 6,603

-23.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$8.55 COP 27.6K

362.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.35 COP 4,343

7.41%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-12.24%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-20.63%

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

$251 A$357

$170 COP 547.0K

47.86%

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

$27.76 A$39.45

$13.55 COP 43.7K

104.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$28.07 COP 90.5K

106.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$43.70 COP 140.9K

61.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.05

$17.19 COP 55.4K

35.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.34

$6.91 COP 22.3K

158.03%

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

$2,358 A$3,352

$797 COP 2.6M

196.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

198.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$58.0 COP 186.9K

19.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$135 COP 435.2K

-17.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$97.9 COP 315.6K

30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,647

$1,208 COP 3.9M

112.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,548

$642 COP 2.1M

179.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,394

$2,028 COP 6.5M

156.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,487

$1,012 COP 3.3M

211.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

221.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

356.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,853

$657 COP 2.1M

526.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

10.94

-45.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 64.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 37.2% $125

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43.3% $129

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 46.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.2% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney 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 Sydney are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

14:55 2:55 PM

16 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Medellin 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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

Sydney vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney and $47 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 $3,267 in Sydney and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 50% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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.

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