Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baton Rouge, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,221 in Baton Rouge, LA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Baton Rouge, LA
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Baton Rouge, LA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Baton Rouge, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,221

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,221 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Baton Rouge, LA $2,221
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,303 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Baton Rouge, LA $3,303
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,385 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Baton Rouge, LA $4,385
Medellin $3,249

Living in Baton Rouge, LA is roughly 31% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Baton Rouge, LA 64% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$8.34 COP 26.8K

77.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 $83.0

$46.53 COP 149.7K

78.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$9.47 COP 30.5K

25.24%

Cappuccino

$6.13 $6.13

$3.13 COP 10.1K

95.85%

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

$2.18 $2.18

$1.77 COP 5,681

23.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.42 COP 4,582

-4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 $5.61

$3.15 COP 10.1K

78.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.30 $7.30

$5.70 COP 18.3K

28.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.53 COP 4,930

-13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.29 COP 7,370

26.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.94 COP 6,257

20.10%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$3.07 COP 9,864

-3.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.99 COP 32.1K

31.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.55 $14.55

$10.45 COP 33.6K

39.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.71 $23.71

$13.96 COP 44.9K

69.84%

Apples (1kg)

$7.22 $7.22

$4.05 COP 13.0K

78.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.53 COP 4,916

94.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.10 COP 6,769

196.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.29 COP 7,378

83.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.11 COP 6,785

74.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.71 COP 5,498

56.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.17 COP 3,764

94.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.58 COP 5,083

14.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.91 COP 12.6K

127.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.17 $19.17

$14.04 COP 45.2K

36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.76 COP 5,667

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.71 COP 8,724

-27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.18 COP 3,795

51.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 $55.2

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-27.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.81 COP 5,812

127.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.13 COP 6,849

-40.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.64 $29.64

$8.13 COP 26.2K

264.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.28 COP 4,102

-21.88%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-17.02%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-22.35%

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

$137 $137

$178 COP 571.7K

-22.72%

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

$44.09 $44.09

$13.89 COP 44.7K

217.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$30.74 COP 98.9K

129.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.93 $47.93

$41.94 COP 134.9K

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.02 $10.02

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-40.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.47 COP 24.0K

59.44%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$790 COP 2.5M

143.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

62.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.58 $33.58

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-61.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.88 $41.88

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$138 COP 445.0K

-36.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 $70.8

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-28.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,341 COP 4.3M

58.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 $990

$667 COP 2.1M

48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,572 $2,572

$1,976 COP 6.4M

30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 $1,534

$1,033 COP 3.3M

48.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,702 $1,702

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-58.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,596 $1,596

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-17.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,623 $3,623

$646 COP 2.1M

460.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

10.94

-42.23%

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

Last update for Baton Rouge, LA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baton Rouge, LA

$990 44.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 32.6% $322

Groceries & Markets

Baton Rouge, LA

$445 20%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 30.9% $138

Eating Out

Baton Rouge, LA

$285 12.8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 39.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baton Rouge, LA

$252 11.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 11.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Baton Rouge, LA

$105 4.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 63.5% $67

Getting Around

Baton Rouge, LA

$73 3.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 28.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Baton Rouge, LA

$72 3.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 20.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,127 in Baton Rouge, LA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baton Rouge, LA pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Baton Rouge, LA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $445 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baton Rouge, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h ahead of Baton Rouge, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,493

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baton Rouge, LA Medellin 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baton Rouge, LA
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

Baton Rouge, LA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,221 in Baton Rouge, LA and $1,692 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Baton Rouge, LA is about 5.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,127 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baton Rouge, LA runs roughly 28% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,921 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Baton Rouge, LA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.