Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lacey, WA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,784 in Lacey, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Lacey, WA
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Lacey, WA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lacey, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,784

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,784 in Lacey, WA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Lacey, WA $2,784
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,064 in Lacey, WA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Lacey, WA $4,064
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,345 in Lacey, WA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Lacey, WA $5,345
Medellin $3,186

Living in Lacey, WA is roughly 70% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lacey, WA 105% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.93 $24.93

$8.09 COP 26.1K

208.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$47.05 COP 151.7K

50.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.83 $14.83

$9.50 COP 30.6K

56.11%

Cappuccino

$6.81 $6.81

$3.01 COP 9,722

126.25%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.80 COP 5,801

78.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.41 COP 4,554

107.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.18 COP 10.2K

150.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$5.75 COP 18.5K

42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.38 COP 7,667

93.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.77 COP 5,712

80.23%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$2.89 COP 9,320

67.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.22 $18.22

$10.19 COP 32.9K

78.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 $10.56

$9.87 COP 31.8K

6.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$13.99 COP 45.1K

20.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.97 COP 12.8K

31.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.55 COP 5,005

5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.18 COP 7,039

88.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.18 COP 7,041

115.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.96 COP 6,328

33.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.59 COP 5,125

55.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.15 COP 3,694

151.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.24 COP 4,009

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 $12.50

$3.96 COP 12.8K

215.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$13.68 COP 44.1K

10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.66 COP 5,352

43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.26 COP 7,281

6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.17 COP 3,766

61.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 $66.4

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-14.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.27 COP 4,089

106.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.05 COP 6,603

-19.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.54 $29.54

$8.55 COP 27.6K

245.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.35 COP 4,343

0.74%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-16.76%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-24.37%

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

$220 $220

$170 COP 547.0K

29.85%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$13.55 COP 43.7K

404.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.6 $93.6

$28.07 COP 90.5K

233.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 $39.84

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-8.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 $12.84

$6.91 COP 22.3K

85.82%

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

$1,425 $1,425

$797 COP 2.6M

78.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

248.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.93 $44.93

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-46.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$97.9 COP 315.6K

2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,208 COP 3.9M

33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$642 COP 2.1M

100.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$2,028 COP 6.5M

11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 $2,155

$1,012 COP 3.3M

113.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 $3,252

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-22.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,507 $2,507

$1,910 COP 6.2M

31.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,247 $4,247

$657 COP 2.1M

546.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.94

-37.75%

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

Last update for Lacey, WA: 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

Lacey, WA

$1.3K 46.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.2% $648

Groceries & Markets

Lacey, WA

$424 15.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 29.9% $127

Eating Out

Lacey, WA

$406 14.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 58.3% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lacey, WA

$382 13.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Lacey, WA

$132 4.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.5% $37

Getting Around

Lacey, WA

$85 3.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 10.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lacey, WA

$66 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,613 in Lacey, WA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lacey, WA pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Lacey, WA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $424 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lacey, WA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

3 h ahead of Lacey, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,526

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Lacey, WA Medellin 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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

Lacey, WA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lacey, WA is about 6.5 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: $1,613 in Lacey, WA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Lacey, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $71 in Lacey, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,784 in Lacey, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lacey, WA. 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, Lacey, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.