Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Covington, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,735 in Covington, LA, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Covington, LA
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Covington, LA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Covington, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,735

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,735 in Covington, LA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Covington, LA $2,735
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,834 in Covington, LA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Covington, LA $3,834
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,933 in Covington, LA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Covington, LA $4,933
Medellin $3,249

Living in Covington, LA is roughly 62% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Covington, LA 102% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.65 $18.65

$8.34 COP 27.0K

123.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$46.53 COP 150.9K

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$9.47 COP 30.7K

24.50%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-6.07%

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

$1.75 $1.75

$1.77 COP 5,727

-1.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.42 COP 4,619

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.15 COP 10.2K

31.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-9.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.53 COP 4,969

-42.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.29 COP 7,429

49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.94 COP 6,306

37.63%

Eggs

$3.26 $3.26

$3.07 COP 9,942

6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-46.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$13.96 COP 45.3K

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$4.05 COP 13.1K

0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.53 COP 4,956

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.10 COP 6,823

26.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.29 COP 7,437

89.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.11 COP 6,839

27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.71 COP 5,542

57.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.17 COP 3,794

78.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.58 COP 5,123

35.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 $8.90

$3.91 COP 12.7K

127.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$14.04 COP 45.5K

5.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.76 COP 5,712

14.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.71 COP 8,793

40.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.18 COP 3,825

61.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-20.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.81 COP 5,859

41.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.13 COP 6,904

-22.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 $26.09

$8.13 COP 26.4K

220.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.28 COP 4,135

-20.31%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

4.11%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-22.17%

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

$307 $307

$178 COP 576.3K

72.86%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$13.89 COP 45.0K

264.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$30.74 COP 99.7K

129.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 $39.34

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-6.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 $10.32

$7.47 COP 24.2K

38.15%

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

$590 $590

$790 COP 2.6M

-25.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K $12.1K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-1.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.17 $46.17

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-46.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 $40.51

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-31.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$138 COP 448.6K

-37.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 $93.5

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 $1,674

$1,341 COP 4.3M

24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 $1,469

$667 COP 2.2M

120.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 $3,203

$1,976 COP 6.4M

62.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 $2,382

$1,033 COP 3.3M

130.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,877 $2,877

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-29.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,364 $2,364

$1,940 COP 6.3M

21.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,811 $4,811

$646 COP 2.1M

644.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for Covington, LA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Covington, LA

$1.5K 53.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 54.6% $802

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Covington, LA

$428 15.7%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 48.1% $206

Groceries & Markets

Covington, LA

$315 11.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 2.3% $7.4

Eating Out

Covington, LA

$264 9.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 34.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Covington, LA

$120 4.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 43.8% $53

Getting Around

Covington, LA

$79 2.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 18.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Covington, LA

$60 2.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 5.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,674 in Covington, LA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Covington, LA pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Covington, LA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Covington, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

1 h ahead of Covington, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,870

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Covington, LA Medellin 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Covington, 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

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

Medellin is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Covington, LA is about 7.4 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: $1,674 in Covington, 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 Covington, LA runs roughly 20% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,735 per month in Covington, LA versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,735 in Covington, LA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Covington, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Covington, LA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.