Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,606 per month in Townsville vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Townsville $2,606
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,842 per month in Townsville vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Townsville $3,842
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,078 per month in Townsville vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Townsville $5,078
Medellin $3,249

Townsville costs about 54% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Townsville and Medellin sit above the global median – Townsville by 93%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.82 A$32.92

$8.34 COP 26.9K

173.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 A$102

$46.53 COP 150.3K

51.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.54

$9.47 COP 30.6K

28.41%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.17

$3.13 COP 10.1K

14.38%

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

$2.64 A$3.80

$1.77 COP 5,705

49.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.57

$1.42 COP 4,601

73.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.53 A$12.30

$3.15 COP 10.2K

170.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.39

$5.70 COP 18.4K

26.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.56

$1.53 COP 4,950

15.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.29 COP 7,401

-0.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.94 COP 6,282

-29.90%

Eggs

$5.23 A$7.54

$3.07 COP 9,905

70.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 A$11.77

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.26

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.29

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-4.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.96

$4.05 COP 13.1K

1.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.89

$1.53 COP 4,937

76.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.16

$2.10 COP 6,797

70.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 A$6.19

$2.29 COP 7,409

87.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.81

$2.11 COP 6,813

25.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.12

$1.71 COP 5,521

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.32

$1.17 COP 3,780

96.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 A$4.70

$1.58 COP 5,104

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.58 A$44.12

$3.91 COP 12.6K

682.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 A$15.45

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-23.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$10.00

$1.76 COP 5,690

293.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.32

$2.71 COP 8,760

215.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 A$3.05

$1.18 COP 3,811

78.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 A$79.7

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-27.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 A$3.79

$1.81 COP 5,836

44.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 A$2.95

$2.13 COP 6,878

-4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.02 A$63.5

$8.13 COP 26.3K

441.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.78

$1.28 COP 4,119

-3.13%

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

$28.1K A$40.6K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-18.27%

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

$27.8K A$40.2K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-18.41%

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

$383 A$552

$178 COP 574.1K

115.38%

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

$36.42 A$52.5

$13.89 COP 44.9K

162.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 A$95.2

$30.74 COP 99.3K

114.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.9

$41.94 COP 135.5K

32.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.46

$16.80 COP 54.3K

17.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 A$21.98

$7.47 COP 24.1K

103.88%

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

$2,084 A$3,006

$790 COP 2.6M

163.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.7K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-0.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 A$133

$86.3 COP 278.9K

7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 A$101

$59.3 COP 191.4K

18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 A$236

$138 COP 446.9K

18.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$190

$98.8 COP 319.2K

33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 A$1,854

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,478

$667 COP 2.2M

53.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 A$3,336

$1,976 COP 6.4M

17.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,662

$1,033 COP 3.3M

78.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 A$7,178

$4,098 COP 13.2M

21.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,112 A$5,932

$1,940 COP 6.3M

111.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,066 A$5,865

$646 COP 2.1M

529.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

10.94

-48.08%

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

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1K 39.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 34.9% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$485 18.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 54.2% $263

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$389 14.9%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 20.9% $81

Eating Out

Townsville

$340 13%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 49.2% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$206 7.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 16.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 33.7% $29

Getting Around

Townsville

$77 2.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 22.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,286 in Townsville 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.

Salaries in Townsville are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Townsville versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

15 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Townsville Medellin 15,210 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Townsville is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,910 per month in Townsville and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,286 in Townsville and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Townsville 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 $2,606 in Townsville and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 35% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Townsville at $2,606. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Townsville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,606 in Townsville. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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