Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whanganui and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,000 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Whanganui, New Zealand
Medellin, Colombia
Whanganui
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,000
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Whanganui vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Whanganui $2,000
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,910 per month in Whanganui vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Whanganui $2,910
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Whanganui vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Whanganui $3,820
  • Medellin $3,186

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

Both Whanganui and Medellin sit above the global median – Whanganui by 47%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.42 NZ$22.04
$8.09 COP 26.1K
53.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.0 NZ$130
$47.05 COP 151.7K
55.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.38 NZ$14.89
$9.50 COP 30.6K
-11.79%
Cappuccino
$3.36 NZ$5.97
$3.01 COP 9,722
11.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 NZ$3.93
$1.80 COP 5,801
22.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 NZ$3.63
$1.41 COP 4,554
44.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.48 NZ$9.73
$3.18 COP 10.2K
72.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.48 NZ$9.73
$5.75 COP 18.5K
-4.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 NZ$2.37
$1.51 COP 4,869
-11.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 NZ$1.79
$2.38 COP 7,667
-57.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 NZ$2.05
$1.77 COP 5,712
-34.46%
Eggs
$5.54 NZ$9.84
$2.89 COP 9,320
91.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.64 NZ$10.02
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-44.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.49 NZ$13.30
$9.87 COP 31.8K
-24.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.96 NZ$21.23
$13.99 COP 45.1K
-14.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.93
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-44.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 NZ$3.51
$1.55 COP 5,005
27.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 NZ$3.35
$2.18 COP 7,039
-13.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.51 NZ$6.23
$2.18 COP 7,041
61.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 NZ$3.03
$1.96 COP 6,328
-13.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 NZ$2.34
$1.59 COP 5,125
-16.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 NZ$4.02
$1.15 COP 3,694
97.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 NZ$0.93
$1.24 COP 4,009
-58.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.29 NZ$41.35
$3.96 COP 12.8K
488.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.56 NZ$16.97
$13.68 COP 44.1K
-30.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.60 NZ$4.61
$1.66 COP 5,352
56.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 NZ$3.96
$2.26 COP 7,281
-1.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 NZ$3.48
$1.17 COP 3,766
67.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$109 NZ$193
$77.4 COP 249.5K
40.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.59 NZ$6.38
$1.27 COP 4,089
182.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 NZ$3.62
$2.05 COP 6,603
-0.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.45 NZ$55.8
$8.55 COP 27.6K
267.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 NZ$2.87
$1.35 COP 4,343
20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K NZ$50.0K
$34.1K COP 109.8M
-17.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K NZ$40.3K
$34.7K COP 111.8M
-34.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 NZ$351
$170 COP 547.0K
16.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.21 NZ$57.2
$13.55 COP 43.7K
137.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.07 NZ$83.6
$28.07 COP 90.5K
67.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.46 NZ$70.1
$43.70 COP 140.9K
-9.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.66 NZ$10.05
$6.91 COP 22.3K
-18.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$686 NZ$1,218
$797 COP 2.6M
-13.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K NZ$41.1K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
153.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 NZ$109
$84.7 COP 273.2K
-27.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.61 NZ$68.6
$58.0 COP 186.9K
-33.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 NZ$166
$135 COP 435.2K
-30.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NZ$188
$97.9 COP 315.6K
8.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 NZ$1,828
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-14.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$939 NZ$1,668
$642 COP 2.1M
46.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,657 NZ$2,941
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-18.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,465 NZ$2,602
$1,012 COP 3.3M
44.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,694 NZ$8,334
$4,170 COP 13.4M
12.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,967 NZ$5,267
$1,910 COP 6.2M
55.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Whanganui
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.8
10.94
-37.84%

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

Last update for Whanganui: 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
Whanganui
$939
Medellin
$642 31.7% $298
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whanganui
$277
Medellin
$211 23.7% $65
Groceries & Markets
Whanganui
$248
Medellin
$297 19.6% $49
Eating Out
Whanganui
$220
Medellin
$170 23% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Whanganui
$135
Medellin
$169 25.5% $34
Getting Around
Whanganui
$130
Medellin
$94 28.1% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Whanganui
$51
Medellin
$58 13.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,030 in Whanganui 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Whanganui versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $248 in Whanganui vs $297 in Medellin – so Whanganui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Whanganui
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
02:53 2:53 AM
08:53 8:53 AM
18 h behind Whanganui
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,300
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Whanganui Medellin 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Whanganui
  • 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
Whanganui vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Whanganui?
Yes – Whanganui is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,000 per month in Whanganui and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Whanganui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,030 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Whanganui or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Whanganui and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Whanganui and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,000 in Whanganui and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 18% cheaper.
Is $2,500 enough for either Whanganui or Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,000 in Whanganui and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Whanganui or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,000 in Whanganui. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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