Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Lausanne $3,837
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Lausanne $5,789
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Lausanne $7,741
Medellin $3,186

Living in Lausanne is roughly 134% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.56

$8.09 COP 25.4K

280.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 96.0

$47.05 COP 148.0K

145.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.77

$9.50 COP 29.9K

87.47%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$3.01 COP 9,485

103.65%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$1.80 COP 5,660

187.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$1.41 COP 4,443

194.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.42

$3.18 COP 9,990

218.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.95

$5.75 COP 18.1K

66.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$1.51 COP 4,751

47.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$2.38 COP 7,480

60.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$1.77 COP 5,573

85.31%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 6.00

$2.89 COP 9,093

150.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.24

$10.19 COP 32.1K

139.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.82

$9.87 COP 31.1K

178.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 33.02

$13.99 COP 44.0K

184.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-10.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.55 COP 4,883

38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$2.18 COP 6,867

14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.73

$2.18 COP 6,870

105.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$1.96 COP 6,174

-5.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$1.59 COP 5,000

22.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$1.15 COP 3,604

73.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.24 COP 3,911

36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.12

$3.96 COP 12.5K

177.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.41

$13.68 COP 43.0K

9.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$1.66 COP 5,221

59.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.60

$2.26 COP 7,103

38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$1.17 COP 3,674

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.7

$77.4 COP 243.4K

24.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.58

$1.27 COP 3,989

525.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$2.05 COP 6,442

117.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.2

$8.55 COP 26.9K

876.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$1.35 COP 4,237

71.11%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

15.66%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

14.10%

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

$299 CHF 248

$170 COP 533.7K

76.17%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.71

$13.55 COP 42.6K

173.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.26

$28.07 COP 88.3K

85.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.6

$43.70 COP 137.5K

61.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

$17.19 COP 54.1K

184.47%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.32

$6.91 COP 21.7K

254.41%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,455

$797 COP 2.5M

271.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

303.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$84.7 COP 266.5K

69.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.4

$58.0 COP 182.3K

35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 116

$135 COP 424.6K

3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 177

$97.9 COP 307.9K

117.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

$1,208 COP 3.8M

96.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

$642 COP 2.0M

190.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,520

$2,028 COP 6.4M

109.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,680

$1,012 COP 3.2M

219.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

341.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

609.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

$657 COP 2.1M

902.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

10.94

-82.18%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 65.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 49% $286

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 64.7% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 45.6% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 34.6% $90

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 35.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 51.9% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

10:34 10:34 AM

6 h behind Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Lausanne Medellin 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Lausanne
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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

Lausanne vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Medellin differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($3,837 vs $1,639 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lausanne is about 10 times higher, 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: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,208 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 $116 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,837 in Lausanne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lausanne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.