Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Plata, MD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,441 in La Plata, MD, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in La Plata, MD
Learn more

La Plata, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

La Plata, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,441 per month in La Plata, MD vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata, MD $2,441
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,635 per month in La Plata, MD vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata, MD $3,635
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,829 per month in La Plata, MD vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata, MD $4,829
Medellin $3,186

La Plata, MD costs about 49% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Plata, MD and Medellin sit above the global median – La Plata, MD by 79%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 $13.52

$8.09 COP 25.4K

67.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$47.05 COP 148.0K

92.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 $7.62

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-19.79%

Cappuccino

$6.29 $6.29

$3.01 COP 9,485

108.97%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.80 COP 5,660

56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.41 COP 4,443

81.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.18 COP 9,990

8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-13.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.51 COP 4,751

11.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.38 COP 7,480

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.77 COP 5,573

251.98%

Eggs

$1.81 $1.81

$2.89 COP 9,093

-37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$10.19 COP 32.1K

24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.97 COP 12.5K

23.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.55 COP 4,883

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$2.18 COP 6,867

189.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.18 COP 6,870

103.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.96 COP 6,174

55.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.59 COP 5,000

30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.15 COP 3,604

82.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.24 COP 3,911

119.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$3.96 COP 12.5K

199.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.37 $14.37

$13.68 COP 43.0K

5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.66 COP 5,221

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.26 COP 7,103

125.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.17 COP 3,674

65.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-24.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.27 COP 3,989

114.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.05 COP 6,442

-18.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.55 COP 26.9K

247.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.35 COP 4,237

-24.44%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-4.34%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-11.91%

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

$97.8 $97.8

$170 COP 533.7K

-42.33%

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

$42.02 $42.02

$13.55 COP 42.6K

210.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

161.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 $40.39

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-7.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 $15.14

$6.91 COP 21.7K

119.10%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$797 COP 2.5M

51.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

152.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.79 $47.79

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-43.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 $36.43

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-37.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$135 COP 424.6K

-16.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$97.9 COP 307.9K

23.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$1,208 COP 3.8M

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$642 COP 2.0M

100.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$2,028 COP 6.4M

22.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 $2,098

$1,012 COP 3.2M

107.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,038 $3,038

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-27.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,428 $2,428

$1,910 COP 6.0M

27.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,502 $6,502

$657 COP 2.1M

889.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

10.94

-42.87%

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

Last update for La Plata, MD: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Plata, MD

$1.3K 52.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50% $642

Groceries & Markets

La Plata, MD

$398 16.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.4% $101

Eating Out

La Plata, MD

$255 10.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 33.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Plata, MD

$213 8.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 1% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

La Plata, MD

$143 5.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 18.5% $26

Getting Around

La Plata, MD

$77 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 21.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

La Plata, MD

$71 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 18.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in La Plata, MD 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 La Plata, MD are about 9.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in La Plata, MD versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Plata, MD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

12:47 12:47 PM

1 h behind La Plata, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Plata, MD Medellin 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

La Plata, MD
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 Plata, MD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Plata, MD is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,661 per month in La Plata, MD 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,575 in La Plata, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,441 in La Plata, MD and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in La Plata, MD. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Plata, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.