Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $558 per month in La Merced vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

La Merced $558
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $910 per month in La Merced vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

La Merced $910
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,263 per month in La Merced vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

La Merced $1,263
Medellin $3,249

La Merced is about 67% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Merced sits 59% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.10

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-47.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 PEN 120

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-25.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.19

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-25.98%

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.97

$3.13 COP 10.2K

1.60%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.72

$1.77 COP 5,727

-38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$1.42 COP 4,619

-54.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PEN 8.86

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-18.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-24.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.53 COP 4,969

3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 PEN 7.15

$2.29 COP 7,429

-9.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.43

$1.94 COP 6,306

-34.02%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$3.07 COP 9,942

-23.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.29

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-26.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 PEN 19.94

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-44.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.68 PEN 29.94

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-37.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-77.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.53 COP 4,956

-70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$2.10 COP 6,823

-85.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.46

$2.29 COP 7,437

-69.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$2.11 COP 6,839

-86.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$1.71 COP 5,542

-73.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 PEN 2.07

$1.17 COP 3,794

-48.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$1.58 COP 5,123

-44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.42

$3.91 COP 12.7K

43.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 PEN 25.30

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 PEN 6.56

$1.76 COP 5,712

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 PEN 10.61

$2.71 COP 8,793

13.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.84

$1.81 COP 5,859

89.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.14

$2.13 COP 6,904

-2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 PEN 26.37

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-6.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.65

$1.28 COP 4,135

28.12%

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

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-36.85%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-15.22%

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

$66.7 PEN 230

$178 COP 576.3K

-62.50%

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

$15.80 PEN 54.5

$13.89 COP 45.0K

13.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 PEN 93.4

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-11.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.63

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-4.42%

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

$318 PEN 1,096

$790 COP 2.6M

-59.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

2.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 184

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-38.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.12 PEN 121

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-40.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 PEN 289

$138 COP 448.6K

-39.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 273

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

10.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$185 33.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 66.1% $122

Eating Out

La Merced

$123 22%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 40.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$113 20.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 52.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$110 19.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 103% $113

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$14 * 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 298% $43

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 578% $80

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in La Merced versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $307 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Merced Medellin 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 203% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $837 per month in La Merced and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $558 in La Merced and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes La Merced about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $318 per month in La Merced and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Medellin at $1,692. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.