Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,974 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,974

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,974 per month in Lija vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Lija $1,974
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,101 per month in Lija vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Lija $3,101
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,228 per month in Lija vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Lija $4,228
Medellin $3,186

Lija costs about 20% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lija and Medellin sit above the global median – Lija by 45%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.47 €20.05

$8.09 COP 26.1K

177.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.9

$47.05 COP 151.9K

92.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.89

$9.50 COP 30.7K

40.32%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.86

$3.01 COP 9,734

6.31%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$1.80 COP 5,809

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.41 COP 4,560

36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.10

$3.18 COP 10.3K

79.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$5.75 COP 18.6K

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.51 COP 4,875

-12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.38 COP 7,677

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 €3.05

$1.77 COP 5,719

93.22%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.78

$2.89 COP 9,332

46.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 €9.18

$10.19 COP 32.9K

0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 €10.55

$9.87 COP 31.9K

19.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 €16.46

$13.99 COP 45.2K

31.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-5.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.55 COP 5,011

80.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 €3.54

$2.18 COP 7,047

81.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.18 COP 7,050

76.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.96 COP 6,336

-5.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.59 COP 5,131

111.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.15 COP 3,698

92.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.24 COP 4,014

20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.18 €5.52

$3.96 COP 12.8K

56.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.85 €5.22

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-57.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.66 COP 5,359

43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.26 COP 7,290

0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.17 COP 3,770

109.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.27 COP 4,094

213.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.05 COP 6,611

-14.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 €29.26

$8.55 COP 27.6K

283.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.35 COP 4,348

12.59%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-17.35%

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

$38.9K €34.8K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

12.34%

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

$157 €140

$170 COP 547.7K

-7.39%

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

$31.50 €28.10

$13.55 COP 43.7K

132.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.99 €25.87

$28.07 COP 90.6K

3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 €50.6

$43.70 COP 141.1K

29.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 €10.11

$6.91 COP 22.3K

63.97%

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

$272 €243

$797 COP 2.6M

-65.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

34.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 €51.5

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-31.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.3

$58.0 COP 187.1K

16.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.0

$135 COP 435.7K

-17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$97.9 COP 316.0K

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,075

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 €741

$642 COP 2.1M

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,363

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-24.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 €1,336

$1,012 COP 3.3M

47.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 €3,969

$4,170 COP 13.5M

6.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,958 €2,639

$1,910 COP 6.2M

54.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

10.94

-62.98%

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

Last update for Lija: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lija

$830 42.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 22.7% $189

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$341 17.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 13% $44

Eating Out

Lija

$317 16.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$218 11%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 2.9% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 2.2% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$79 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 27.5% $22

Getting Around

Lija

$23 * 1.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 315% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,205 in Lija versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Lija versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

6 h behind Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

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 = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lija Medellin 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

Lija vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,974 in Lija, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,961 per month in Lija and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,205 in Lija and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,974 in Lija and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $272 per month in Lija and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,974 in Lija and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,974 in Lija. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.