Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos, Portugal and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,044 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
Learn more

Lagos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,044

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Lagos versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Lagos $2,044
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in Lagos versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Lagos $3,081
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in Lagos versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Lagos $4,117
Medellin $3,186

Living in Lagos is roughly 25% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lagos 50% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 €10.91

$8.09 COP 26.1K

50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.6

$47.05 COP 151.7K

20.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.37

$3.01 COP 9,722

-11.96%

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

$2.44 €2.18

$1.80 COP 5,801

35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.41 COP 4,554

21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 €3.56

$3.18 COP 10.2K

25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.93

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-23.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.51 COP 4,869

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.38 COP 7,667

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.77 COP 5,712

19.21%

Eggs

$3.54 €3.17

$2.89 COP 9,320

22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.50 €15.67

$10.19 COP 32.9K

71.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 €7.35

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-16.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 €13.69

$13.99 COP 45.1K

9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.55 COP 5,005

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.18 COP 7,039

-18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.18 COP 7,041

22.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.96 COP 6,328

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.59 COP 5,125

31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.15 COP 3,694

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 €0.34

$1.24 COP 4,009

-69.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.96 COP 12.8K

44.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.66 COP 5,352

-45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.26 COP 7,281

22.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.17 COP 3,766

45.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.32

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-56.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 €5.12

$1.27 COP 4,089

349.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$2.05 COP 6,603

-51.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.35 COP 4,343

48.89%

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

$33.1K €29.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-2.82%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

1.59%

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

$146 €131

$170 COP 547.0K

-14.03%

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

$21.33 €19.10

$13.55 COP 43.7K

57.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.62 €39.07

$28.07 COP 90.5K

55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.75

$43.70 COP 140.9K

24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.31 €25.36

$17.19 COP 55.4K

64.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 €5.60

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-9.41%

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

$521 €466

$797 COP 2.6M

-34.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,982

$9,112 COP 29.4M

22.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 €73.2

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.89 €43.78

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 €62.6

$135 COP 435.2K

-48.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$97.9 COP 315.6K

15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,024

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-5.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €983

$642 COP 2.1M

71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 €2,145

$2,028 COP 6.5M

18.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,959 €1,755

$1,012 COP 3.3M

93.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,962 €3,548

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-5.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,826 €4,322

$1,910 COP 6.2M

152.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 €1,086

$657 COP 2.1M

84.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.94

-64.81%

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

Last update for Lagos: 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

Lagos

$1.1K 53.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 41.6% $456

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$278 13.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$211 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Lagos

$198 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 14.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$141 6.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$67 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Lagos

$51 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 82.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Lagos and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lagos vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $297, with Lagos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lagos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

5 h behind Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lagos Medellin 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
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

Lagos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,044 in Lagos and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Lagos, 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: $1,144 in Lagos versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lagos pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $57 in Lagos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Lagos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.