Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whakatane and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,982 in Whakatane, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Whakatane
Learn more

Whakatane Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Whakatane

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,982

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,982 per month in Whakatane vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Whakatane $1,982
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,919 per month in Whakatane vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Whakatane $2,919
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,856 per month in Whakatane vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Whakatane $3,856
Medellin $3,186

Whakatane costs about 21% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 NZ$25.23

$8.09 COP 26.1K

75.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 NZ$120

$47.05 COP 151.7K

43.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 NZ$15.85

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-6.00%

Cappuccino

$3.16 NZ$5.61

$3.01 COP 9,722

4.98%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$1.80 COP 5,801

10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.41 COP 4,554

29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$3.18 COP 10.2K

92.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 NZ$11.21

$5.75 COP 18.5K

9.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.51 COP 4,869

23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 NZ$1.75

$2.38 COP 7,667

-58.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.77 COP 5,712

5.08%

Eggs

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$2.89 COP 9,320

95.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 NZ$15.02

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.18

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-13.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 NZ$27.29

$13.99 COP 45.1K

9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 NZ$4.31

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-38.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.55 COP 5,005

38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$2.18 COP 7,039

36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 NZ$10.18

$2.18 COP 7,041

162.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.55

$1.96 COP 6,328

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.59 COP 5,125

-4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.15 COP 3,694

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NZ$1.90

$1.24 COP 4,009

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.52 NZ$48.87

$3.96 COP 12.8K

594.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.66 NZ$15.37

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.66 COP 5,352

-13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$2.26 COP 7,281

-49.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.17 COP 3,766

48.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 NZ$166

$77.4 COP 249.5K

21.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.27 COP 4,089

77.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.05 COP 6,603

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$8.55 COP 27.6K

280.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.81

$1.35 COP 4,343

17.04%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.79%

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

$9,071 NZ$16.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-73.84%

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

$119 NZ$212

$170 COP 547.0K

-29.77%

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

$26.90 NZ$47.76

$13.55 COP 43.7K

98.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 NZ$72.1

$28.07 COP 90.5K

44.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.14 NZ$69.5

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 NZ$14.89

$6.91 COP 22.3K

21.42%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,891

$797 COP 2.6M

33.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K NZ$34.8K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

115.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 NZ$119

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 NZ$71.2

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-30.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NZ$151

$135 COP 435.2K

-36.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 NZ$130

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-25.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 NZ$1,714

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-20.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NZ$1,730

$642 COP 2.1M

51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 NZ$2,910

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-19.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 NZ$2,707

$1,012 COP 3.3M

50.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 NZ$8,540

$4,170 COP 13.4M

15.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,305 NZ$5,868

$1,910 COP 6.2M

73.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 NZ$7,150

$657 COP 2.1M

512.83%

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 Whakatane: 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

Whakatane

$974 49.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 34.2% $333

Groceries & Markets

Whakatane

$295 14.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 0.6% $1.7

Eating Out

Whakatane

$237 12%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 28.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whakatane

$187 9.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 13.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Whakatane

$119 6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 41.4% $49

Getting Around

Whakatane

$113 5.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 17.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Whakatane

$56 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.9% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $966 in Whakatane 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 Whakatane are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Whakatane versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Whakatane vs $297 in Medellin – so Whakatane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whakatane

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

14:01 2:01 PM

18 h behind Whakatane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Whakatane Medellin 11,960 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Whakatane
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

Whakatane vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Whakatane is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,973 per month in Whakatane 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 Whakatane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $966 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Whakatane and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,982 in Whakatane and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,982 in Whakatane. 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, Whakatane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.