Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Wanaka and in Medellin: $1,696 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,696

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,696 per month in Wanaka vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Wanaka $1,696
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,695 per month in Wanaka vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Wanaka $2,695
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,694 per month in Wanaka vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Wanaka $3,694
Medellin $3,186

Wanaka costs about 3% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wanaka and Medellin sit above the global median – Wanaka by 25%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.97 NZ$24.90

$8.09 COP 25.4K

72.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 NZ$102

$47.05 COP 148.0K

21.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 NZ$15.34

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-9.47%

Cappuccino

$3.03 NZ$5.40

$3.01 COP 9,485

0.66%

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

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.80 COP 5,660

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 NZ$3.40

$1.41 COP 4,443

35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 NZ$12.41

$3.18 COP 9,990

118.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.35 NZ$11.32

$5.75 COP 18.1K

10.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 NZ$3.78

$1.51 COP 4,751

40.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.38 COP 7,480

-15.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$1.77 COP 5,573

1.13%

Eggs

$6.00 NZ$10.69

$2.89 COP 9,093

107.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 NZ$15.16

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-16.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 NZ$17.30

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.78 NZ$29.90

$13.99 COP 44.0K

19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 NZ$5.17

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.81

$1.55 COP 4,883

38.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.88

$2.18 COP 6,867

51.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 NZ$9.09

$2.18 COP 6,870

133.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$1.96 COP 6,174

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$1.59 COP 5,000

11.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$1.15 COP 3,604

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.24 COP 3,911

-51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.66 NZ$40.39

$3.96 COP 12.5K

472.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.85 NZ$15.77

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 NZ$5.61

$1.66 COP 5,221

89.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.25

$2.26 COP 7,103

-44.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 NZ$10.38

$1.27 COP 3,989

359.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.08 NZ$50.0

$8.55 COP 26.9K

228.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 NZ$3.21

$1.35 COP 4,237

33.33%

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

$28.6K NZ$51.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-15.96%

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

$23.0K NZ$41.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-33.60%

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

$112 NZ$200

$170 COP 533.7K

-33.69%

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

$29.42 NZ$52.4

$13.55 COP 42.6K

117.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 NZ$92.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

84.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 NZ$20.62

$6.91 COP 21.7K

67.44%

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

$601 NZ$1,072

$797 COP 2.5M

-24.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$107

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.14 NZ$62.6

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-39.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 NZ$122

$135 COP 424.6K

-49.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 NZ$132

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$971 NZ$1,730

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-19.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 NZ$1,436

$642 COP 2.0M

25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 NZ$3,351

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-7.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 NZ$2,952

$1,012 COP 3.2M

63.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,641 NZ$10.1K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

35.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,352 NZ$7,756

$657 COP 2.1M

562.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-63.44%

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

Last update for Wanaka: 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

Wanaka

$805 47.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 20.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Wanaka

$324 19.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 8.5% $27

Eating Out

Wanaka

$236 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 28.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wanaka

$194 11.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Wanaka

$107 6.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 58.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Wanaka

$23 * 1.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 149% $34

Getting Around

Wanaka

$5.8 * 0.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1505% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $971 in Wanaka 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 Wanaka are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Wanaka versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

18 h behind Wanaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,600

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wanaka Medellin 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wanaka
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

Wanaka vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wanaka is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,543 per month in Wanaka 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 Wanaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $971 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Wanaka and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Wanaka, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,696 in Wanaka and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $1,696 in Wanaka. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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