Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Medellin $3,186

Wellington costs about 41% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wellington and Medellin sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.99

$8.09 COP 25.4K

73.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$47.05 COP 148.0K

41.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.44

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.08

$3.01 COP 9,485

13.29%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.33

$1.80 COP 5,660

35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.02

$1.41 COP 4,443

19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.34

$3.18 COP 9,990

135.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$12.02

$5.75 COP 18.1K

17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$1.51 COP 4,751

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.02

$2.38 COP 7,480

-5.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

4.52%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.66

$2.89 COP 9,093

145.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.00

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-6.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.14

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.20

$13.99 COP 44.0K

9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.51

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-22.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$1.55 COP 4,883

38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.49

$2.18 COP 6,867

41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.45

$2.18 COP 6,870

194.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.74

$1.96 COP 6,174

7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$1.59 COP 5,000

-22.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$1.15 COP 3,604

74.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.07

$1.24 COP 3,911

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.21

$3.96 COP 12.5K

540.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.46

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-16.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.56

$1.66 COP 5,221

87.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.14

$2.26 COP 7,103

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.10

$1.17 COP 3,674

144.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$77.4 COP 243.4K

35.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$1.27 COP 3,989

48.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$2.05 COP 6,442

-10.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.1

$8.55 COP 26.9K

301.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.35 COP 4,237

36.30%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-16.67%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-31.36%

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

$201 NZ$358

$170 COP 533.7K

18.36%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.4

$13.55 COP 42.6K

146.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.6

$28.07 COP 88.3K

91.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.9

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-17.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.84

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$21.00

$6.91 COP 21.7K

70.48%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,897

$797 COP 2.5M

33.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

45.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-5.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.97

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-51.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$275

$97.9 COP 307.9K

57.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,036

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,922

$642 COP 2.0M

68.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,665

$2,028 COP 6.4M

1.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,232

$1,012 COP 3.2M

79.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,514

$1,910 COP 6.0M

91.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,964

$657 COP 2.1M

323.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

10.94

-50.73%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 40.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 26.6% $77

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.1% $5.1

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 26.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3.2% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington 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 Wellington are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

18 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Medellin 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

Wellington vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wellington is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $2,459 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 $1,143 in Wellington and $1,208 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 $66 in Wellington 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 $2,313 in Wellington and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 29% cheaper.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,313 in Wellington. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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