Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,538 in Laurel, MD, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MD
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Laurel, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,538

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,538 in Laurel, MD versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Laurel, MD $2,538
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,254 in Laurel, MD versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Laurel, MD $4,254
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,969 in Laurel, MD versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Laurel, MD $5,969
Medellin $3,199

Living in Laurel, MD is roughly 56% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Laurel, MD 87% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$8.30 COP 26.3K

118.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 $94.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

102.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$9.24 COP 29.3K

17.10%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.05 COP 9,676

81.31%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$1.80 COP 5,707

70.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.38 COP 4,382

96.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.24 COP 10.3K

110.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 $7.80

$5.56 COP 17.6K

40.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 COP 4,760

-23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.37 COP 7,508

66.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.70 COP 5,377

128.24%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$2.96 COP 9,379

59.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 $12.86

$10.22 COP 32.4K

25.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.74 COP 30.9K

34.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 $18.67

$13.90 COP 44.1K

34.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.13 COP 13.1K

48.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.53 COP 4,839

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.22 COP 7,052

84.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.27 COP 7,194

87.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.99 COP 6,311

9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.67 COP 5,285

65.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.18 COP 3,742

111.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 COP 3,919

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 $13.44

$3.87 COP 12.3K

247.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 $15.90

$13.78 COP 43.7K

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.66 COP 5,256

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.40 COP 7,615

32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.28 COP 4,044

42.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.15 COP 6,803

-35.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.67 $23.67

$8.37 COP 26.5K

182.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,288

-22.96%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-33.76%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-31.49%

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

$203 $203

$167 COP 528.4K

21.54%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$13.62 COP 43.2K

397.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 $90.5

$29.12 COP 92.3K

210.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 $14.46

$6.97 COP 22.1K

107.46%

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

$1,933 $1,933

$790 COP 2.5M

144.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

288.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-40.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 $57.3

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 $91.4

$139 COP 440.7K

-34.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$98.9 COP 313.5K

14.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 $1,352

$1,028 COP 3.3M

31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$620 COP 2.0M

103.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 $2,399

$1,881 COP 6.0M

27.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,073 $3,073

$1,008 COP 3.2M

204.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-44.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,568 $2,568

$1,702 COP 5.4M

50.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,478 $5,478

$663 COP 2.1M

725.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

10.94

-38.57%

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

Last update for Laurel, MD: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 49.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 50.8% $640

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MD

$422 16.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 29.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MD

$361 14.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 42% $151

Eating Out

Laurel, MD

$317 12.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 46% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MD

$141 5.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 22.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MD

$29 * 1.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 104% $30

Getting Around

Laurel, MD

$8.8 * 0.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 988% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,352 in Laurel, MD and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 726% 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: $95.0 in Laurel, MD vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Laurel, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MD Medellin 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MD
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

Laurel, MD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laurel, MD and Medellin differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,538 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 726% higher in Laurel, MD, 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: $1,352 in Laurel, MD versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Laurel, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,538 per month in Laurel, MD versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,538 in Laurel, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Laurel, MD. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Laurel, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.