Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lachen and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,419 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,419

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,419 in Lachen versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Lachen $3,419
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,218 in Lachen versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Lachen $5,218
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,017 in Lachen versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Lachen $7,017
Medellin $3,199

Living in Lachen is roughly 110% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lachen 152% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.00 CHF 27.18

$8.30 COP 26.3K

297.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.4

$46.91 COP 148.7K

157.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.33 CHF 13.45

$9.24 COP 29.3K

76.73%

Cappuccino

$6.19 CHF 5.10

$3.05 COP 9,676

102.95%

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

$5.68 CHF 4.68

$1.80 COP 5,707

215.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 CHF 4.20

$1.38 COP 4,382

270.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 CHF 6.95

$3.24 COP 10.3K

160.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 CHF 7.92

$5.56 COP 17.6K

73.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.50 COP 4,760

44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$2.37 COP 7,508

43.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 CHF 3.57

$1.70 COP 5,377

154.71%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$2.96 COP 9,379

166.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.48 CHF 21.81

$10.22 COP 32.4K

159.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.44 CHF 21.77

$9.74 COP 30.9K

171.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.73 CHF 32.72

$13.90 COP 44.1K

185.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.87

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$1.53 COP 4,839

39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 CHF 2.17

$2.22 COP 7,052

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 CHF 3.94

$2.27 COP 7,194

110.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 CHF 1.65

$1.99 COP 6,311

1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.67 COP 5,285

35.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.18 COP 3,742

106.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 CHF 1.17

$1.24 COP 3,919

14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.07 CHF 9.12

$3.87 COP 12.3K

186.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 CHF 10.89

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 CHF 1.88

$1.66 COP 5,256

37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$2.40 COP 7,615

39.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 CHF 3.17

$1.24 COP 3,944

210.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 CHF 90.7

$78.2 COP 248.0K

40.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$1.28 COP 4,044

501.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.95 CHF 4.07

$2.15 COP 6,803

130.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 71.6

$8.37 COP 26.5K

937.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.35 COP 4,288

69.63%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

12.50%

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

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

14.89%

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

$231 CHF 190

$167 COP 528.4K

38.37%

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

$31.78 CHF 26.18

$13.62 COP 43.2K

133.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.5 CHF 53.9

$29.12 COP 92.3K

124.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$45.09 COP 143.0K

96.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.80 CHF 39.37

$17.18 COP 54.5K

178.23%

Cinema Ticket

$21.69 CHF 17.86

$6.97 COP 22.1K

211.19%

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

$2,846 CHF 2,344

$790 COP 2.5M

260.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

396.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 114

$87.8 COP 278.4K

58.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$88.1 CHF 72.6

$58.2 COP 184.4K

51.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$139 COP 440.7K

5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 CHF 142

$98.9 COP 313.5K

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CHF 1,437

$1,028 COP 3.3M

69.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 CHF 1,221

$620 COP 2.0M

139.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 CHF 2,413

$1,881 COP 6.0M

55.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 CHF 2,056

$1,008 COP 3.2M

147.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

305.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

640.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,670 CHF 7,965

$663 COP 2.1M

1357.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

10.94

-84.28%

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

Last update for Lachen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lachen

$1.5K 43.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 58.2% $863

Groceries & Markets

Lachen

$582 17%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 48.8% $284

Eating Out

Lachen

$492 14.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 65.3% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lachen

$328 9.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 36.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Lachen

$246 7.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 29.7% $73

Getting Around

Lachen

$158 4.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 39.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lachen

$132 3.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 55.2% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Lachen and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays 1358% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $121 in Lachen vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $582 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lachen

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

7 h behind Lachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lachen Medellin 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lachen
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

Lachen vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Lachen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1358% higher in Lachen, 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: $1,745 in Lachen versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 41% less than in Lachen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,846 in Lachen versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $3,419 in Lachen, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lachen. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lachen and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Lachen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.