Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houma, LA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,071 in Houma, LA, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,071

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Houma, LA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Houma, LA $2,071
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,003 per month in Houma, LA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,003
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,936 per month in Houma, LA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,936
Medellin $3,186

Houma, LA costs about 26% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Houma, LA and Medellin sit above the global median – Houma, LA by 52%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$8.09 COP 25.4K

145.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.72 $49.72

$47.05 COP 148.0K

5.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$9.50 COP 29.9K

28.00%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.01 COP 9,485

78.41%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.80 COP 5,660

18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.41 COP 4,443

17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.18 COP 9,990

-2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-14.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 COP 4,751

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.38 COP 7,480

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.77 COP 5,573

188.14%

Eggs

$1.72 $1.72

$2.89 COP 9,093

-40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$10.19 COP 32.1K

0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$9.87 COP 31.1K

3.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.99 COP 44.0K

9.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.97 COP 12.5K

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.55 COP 4,883

-16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.18 COP 6,867

143.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.18 COP 6,870

84.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.96 COP 6,174

5.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.59 COP 5,000

97.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.15 COP 3,604

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 COP 3,911

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

118.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-5.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.66 COP 5,221

49.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.26 COP 7,103

69.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.27 COP 3,989

171.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.05 COP 6,442

-29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.46 $34.46

$8.55 COP 26.9K

303.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.35 COP 4,237

-34.07%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-3.09%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.11%

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

$151 $151

$170 COP 533.7K

-11.06%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$13.55 COP 42.6K

431.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 $47.11

$28.07 COP 88.3K

67.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.18 $27.18

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-37.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.32 $12.32

$6.91 COP 21.7K

78.29%

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

$1,553 $1,553

$797 COP 2.5M

95.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

14.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-33.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.54 $43.54

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-24.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 $85.4

$135 COP 424.6K

-36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$97.9 COP 307.9K

22.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 $1,043

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 $924

$642 COP 2.0M

43.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-22.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,012 COP 3.2M

43.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,438 $1,438

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-65.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,483 $1,483

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-22.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,802 $3,802

$657 COP 2.1M

478.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-63.44%

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

Last update for Houma, LA: 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

Houma, LA

$924 44.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 30.5% $282

Groceries & Markets

Houma, LA

$378 18.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 21.3% $81

Eating Out

Houma, LA

$300 14.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43.5% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houma, LA

$270 13%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 21.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Houma, LA

$137 6.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 23% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Houma, LA

$52 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 11% $5.7

Getting Around

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 774% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,043 in Houma, LA 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 Houma, LA are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Houma, LA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Houma, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,657

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houma, LA Medellin 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Houma, 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

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

Yes – Houma, LA is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Houma, LA 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 Houma, LA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,043 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,071 in Houma, LA and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $1,553 per month in Houma, LA and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,071 in Houma, LA 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 $2,071 in Houma, LA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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