Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lagos: $951 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$951

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/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.

A single person spends $951 per month in Lagos vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Lagos $951
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,859 per month in Lagos vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Lagos $1,859
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,768 per month in Lagos vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Lagos $2,768
Medellin $3,190

Lagos is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lagos sits 30% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ₦5,082

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-51.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 ₦67.5K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

10.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ₦9,815

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-22.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ₦3,768

$3.11 COP 9,866

-9.00%

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

$0.43 ₦577

$1.83 COP 5,800

-76.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₦291

$1.38 COP 4,360

-84.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₦1,348

$3.05 COP 9,672

-66.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₦2,692

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-63.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 ₦4,120

$1.45 COP 4,600

113.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₦1,989

$2.36 COP 7,496

-36.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ₦1,669

$1.68 COP 5,328

-25.60%

Eggs

$2.27 ₦3,013

$2.86 COP 9,077

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.44 ₦4,578

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-66.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ₦5,040

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-60.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.58 ₦6,093

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-67.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₦2,255

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-58.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,716

$1.50 COP 4,742

-14.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₦1,475

$2.17 COP 6,891

-48.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,718

$2.31 COP 7,310

-44.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 ₦1,823

$1.93 COP 6,113

-29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₦1,803

$1.64 COP 5,196

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₦1,128

$1.13 COP 3,571

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₦528

$1.25 COP 3,954

-68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.60 ₦793

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-84.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.52 ₦3,346

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-81.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦721

$1.70 COP 5,384

-68.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦612

$2.37 COP 7,525

-80.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₦532

$1.21 COP 3,827

-66.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ₦26.2K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-74.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₦864

$1.32 COP 4,179

-50.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 ₦1,270

$2.14 COP 6,774

-55.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₦2,987

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-73.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₦1,098

$1.30 COP 4,114

-36.15%

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

$11.1K ₦14.8M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-60.30%

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

$13.6K ₦18.1M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-61.49%

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

$113 ₦150.7K

$172 COP 545.6K

-34.15%

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

$15.08 ₦20.1K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

12.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 ₦44.0K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

15.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 ₦37.4K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-37.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 ₦9,027

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-60.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 ₦8,237

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-1.43%

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

$659 ₦877.1K

$770 COP 2.4M

-14.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ₦26.0M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

116.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.85 ₦19.8K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-82.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.95 ₦23.9K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-68.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.30 ₦48.3K

$137 COP 432.9K

-73.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.95 ₦65.1K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-50.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₦936.6K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-33.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₦554.1K

$616 COP 2.0M

-32.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 ₦3.8M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 ₦2.0M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

48.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 ₦4.4M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-19.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ₦2.1M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-4.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$117 ₦155.2K

$652 COP 2.1M

-82.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

10.94

68.10%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$417 43.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 47.8% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$161 17%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 32.6% $53

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$154 16.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 91.6% $141

Eating Out

Lagos

$98 10.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 71.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$53 5.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 220% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$40 4.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 42.8% $17

Getting Around

Lagos

$27 2.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 249% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $704 in Lagos versus $1,055 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 run about 459% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Lagos versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Lagos vs $295 in Medellin – so Lagos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Lagos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

6 h behind Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,404,112

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 NGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lagos Medellin 8,720 km ≈ 11 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

Medellin costs about 70% more than Lagos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,426 per month in Lagos and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lagos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $659 per month in Lagos and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lagos, where all-in costs run around $951, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Lagos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lagos costs $951 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Lagos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.