Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Dili and in Medellin: $1,574 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Medellin $3,139

Dili is about 1% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Dili and Medellin sit above the global median – Dili by 17%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-8.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-16.12%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$2.91 COP 9,277

43.64%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$1.75 COP 5,585

-6.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.32 COP 4,218

109.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.13 COP 9,969

-17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-19.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.41 COP 4,495

68.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.44 COP 7,777

3.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.63 COP 5,191

-41.10%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.82 COP 8,990

-4.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-78.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.32 COP 29.7K

0.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$13.46 COP 42.9K

17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.48 COP 4,719

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.12 COP 6,768

17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.25 COP 7,178

0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.91 COP 6,092

-35.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.62 COP 5,160

-29.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.15 COP 3,658

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.26 COP 4,021

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-19.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.60 COP 5,083

36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.26 COP 7,188

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.17 COP 3,731

-79.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-60.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.27 COP 4,056

177.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.05 COP 6,531

74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$8.20 COP 26.1K

140.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.27 COP 4,046

13.39%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-32.84%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-51.39%

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

$152 $152

$162 COP 516.9K

-6.45%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$13.12 COP 41.8K

109.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$44.33 COP 141.2K

11.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$6.09 COP 19.4K

1.31%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$764 COP 2.4M

93.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

80.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-28.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$132 COP 419.8K

-39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$604 COP 1.9M

25.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$1,802 COP 5.7M

52.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$993 COP 3.2M

51.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$626 COP 2.0M

483.94%

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 Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 20.4% $155

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 13.5% $24

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 7.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 60.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 8.6% $5.3

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 75% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $1,028 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 run about 484% higher in Dili, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $288 – making Dili the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

14 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Medellin 17,670 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

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Dili
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

Dili vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dili, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $47.00 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 $1,574 in Dili and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dili, where all-in costs run around $1,574, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Dili it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dili – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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