Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,966 per month in Thames vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Thames $1,966
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,999 per month in Thames vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Thames $2,999
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,032 per month in Thames vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Thames $4,032
Medellin $3,190

Thames costs about 22% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$7.93 COP 25.2K

75.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$46.13 COP 146.3K

48.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-6.42%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$3.11 COP 9,866

9.97%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.83 COP 5,800

10.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$1.38 COP 4,360

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$3.05 COP 9,672

125.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$5.50 COP 17.4K

22.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.45 COP 4,600

28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$2.36 COP 7,496

-5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.68 COP 5,328

6.55%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$2.86 COP 9,077

116.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-13.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$9.53 COP 30.2K

1.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$14.04 COP 44.5K

19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-31.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.50 COP 4,742

44.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$2.17 COP 6,891

34.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$2.31 COP 7,310

148.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.93 COP 6,113

10.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.64 COP 5,196

-7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.13 COP 3,571

75.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$1.25 COP 3,954

-16.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$3.99 COP 12.6K

565.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$1.70 COP 5,384

67.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$2.37 COP 7,525

42.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$1.21 COP 3,827

19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-1.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$1.32 COP 4,179

74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$2.14 COP 6,774

-10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$8.47 COP 26.8K

280.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.30 COP 4,114

43.85%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-10.15%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-38.75%

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

$183 NZ$324

$172 COP 545.6K

6.62%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$13.37 COP 42.4K

95.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

76.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$6.28 COP 19.9K

108.60%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$770 COP 2.4M

47.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

113.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-8.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-30.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$97.9 COP 310.4K

13.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$616 COP 2.0M

33.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-21.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$1,023 COP 3.2M

45.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$4,059 COP 12.9M

12.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$1,678 COP 5.3M

124.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

10.94

-50.91%

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

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thames

$821 41.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 25% $205

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 17.7% $46

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 30.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 17.1% $25

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 15% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $930 in Thames versus $1,055 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 $68.0 in Thames versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

18 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Medellin 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

Thames vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thames is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,949 per month in Thames and $2,421 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 $68.0 in Thames and $46.00 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 $1,966 in Thames and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Thames at $1,966. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thames 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, Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.