Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lakewood, WA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,124 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,124

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,124 in Lakewood, WA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Lakewood, WA $3,124
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,566 in Lakewood, WA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Lakewood, WA $4,566
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,008 in Lakewood, WA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Lakewood, WA $6,008
Medellin $3,249

Living in Lakewood, WA is roughly 85% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lakewood, WA 131% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$8.34 COP 27.0K

118.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$46.53 COP 150.9K

44.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 $12.52

$9.47 COP 30.7K

32.21%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.13 COP 10.2K

66.77%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$1.77 COP 5,727

63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.42 COP 4,619

42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.15 COP 10.2K

27.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$5.70 COP 18.5K

8.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.53 COP 4,969

-30.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.29 COP 7,429

56.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.94 COP 6,306

119.07%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$3.07 COP 9,942

27.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 $13.63

$9.99 COP 32.4K

36.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 $8.71

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-16.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-20.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$4.05 COP 13.1K

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.53 COP 4,956

30.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.10 COP 6,823

98.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.29 COP 7,437

97.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.11 COP 6,839

-5.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.71 COP 5,542

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.17 COP 3,794

73.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.58 COP 5,123

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$3.91 COP 12.7K

218.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.07 $16.07

$14.04 COP 45.5K

14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.76 COP 5,712

13.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.71 COP 8,793

55.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.18 COP 3,825

70.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-20.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.81 COP 5,859

7.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 $0.65

$2.13 COP 6,904

-69.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.89 $30.89

$8.13 COP 26.4K

279.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.28 COP 4,135

8.59%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-17.73%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-22.04%

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

$295 $295

$178 COP 576.3K

65.94%

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

$72.5 $72.5

$13.89 COP 45.0K

422.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 $89.3

$30.74 COP 99.7K

190.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.25 $40.25

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-4.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.18 $25.18

$16.80 COP 54.5K

49.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$7.47 COP 24.2K

140.56%

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

$2,011 $2,011

$790 COP 2.6M

154.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-0.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-41.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.55 $37.55

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-36.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$138 COP 448.6K

-26.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$98.8 COP 320.4K

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 $1,942

$1,341 COP 4.3M

44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 $1,705

$667 COP 2.2M

155.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,351 $3,351

$1,976 COP 6.4M

69.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,057 $3,057

$1,033 COP 3.3M

195.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 $3,116

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-23.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,342 $2,342

$1,940 COP 6.3M

20.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

10.94

-38.94%

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

Last update for Lakewood, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 54.6%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 60.9% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lakewood, WA

$457 14.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 51.3% $234

Groceries & Markets

Lakewood, WA

$368 11.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 16.4% $60

Eating Out

Lakewood, WA

$298 9.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 42.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 17.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lakewood, WA

$76 2.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 25.3% $19

Getting Around

Lakewood, WA

$74 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 26.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,942 in Lakewood, WA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Lakewood, WA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

3 h ahead of Lakewood, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,024

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Lakewood, WA Medellin 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lakewood, WA
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,124 in Lakewood, WA and $1,692 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,685 in Lakewood, WA and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,942 in Lakewood, WA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $67 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,124 per month in Lakewood, WA versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $3,124 in Lakewood, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, 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.