Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 24.4% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 21.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 0.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 36.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.68 PGK 46.47

$6.03 COP 22.7K

77.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 PGK 239

$33.17 COP 124.8K

65.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 COP 27.4K

Cappuccino

$2.80 PGK 12.19

$1.63 COP 6,134

71.78%

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

$0.81 PGK 3.50

$1.05 COP 3,948

-22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 PGK 2.52

$0.77 COP 2,899

-24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 PGK 15.47

$1.73 COP 6,511

105.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PGK 25.19

$3.18 COP 12.0K

82.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 PGK 9.15

$1.07 COP 4,016

96.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 PGK 6.64

$1.31 COP 4,935

16.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 6.17

$1.38 COP 5,196

2.90%

Eggs

$4.19 PGK 18.24

$2.25 COP 8,458

86.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 PGK 44.51

$4.48 COP 16.9K

128.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.17

$5.74 COP 21.6K

72.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 PGK 49.35

$8.86 COP 33.4K

27.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 PGK 21.05

$2.24 COP 8,440

116.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 PGK 13.12

$1.06 COP 3,989

184.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.74 PGK 29.34

$1.51 COP 5,698

346.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 PGK 7.22

$1.36 COP 5,120

22.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 PGK 16.10

$1.12 COP 4,219

230.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 PGK 10.69

$1.17 COP 4,401

110.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 PGK 3.18

$0.90 COP 3,396

-18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PGK 4.11

$0.84 COP 3,150

11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 PGK 31.18

$2.26 COP 8,502

217.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 PGK 55.3

$9.97 COP 37.5K

27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 PGK 11.67

$1.18 COP 4,452

127.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 PGK 20.46

$2.39 COP 8,995

96.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 PGK 1.50

$0.86 COP 3,234

-60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.45 COP 156.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 COP 5,522

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 COP 7,324

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 COP 29.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PGK 4.91

$0.97 COP 3,641

16.49%

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

$17.9K COP 67.6M

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

$26.7K COP 100.6M

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

$81.1 COP 305.2K

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

$9.40 COP 35.4K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 COP 88.8K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.55 COP 96.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.29 COP 72.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.10 COP 15.4K

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

$306 COP 1.2M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,899 COP 22.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 COP 225.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.96 COP 120.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 COP 386.5K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 406.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,964 PGK 34.6K

$483 COP 1.8M

1547.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 PGK 3,318

$377 COP 1.4M

102.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 PGK 6,334

$822 COP 3.1M

77.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 COP 2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 COP 10.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,320 COP 5.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 PGK 700

$538 COP 2.0M

-70.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

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

Last update for Lae: March 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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